Nightmare of Darkness
by quwira
Summary: Raven started having nightmares about her father. She didn't realize that they were a warning: Trigon has returned
1. Terror

**Chapter 1**

Raven found herself in pitch-black darkness. Not sure what she was doing there or even how she got there, she took a few trembling steps forward. Silence. More confident, she started walking through the darkness. Suddenly flames leapt up in front of her. Startled, she took a few stumbling steps backward, only to find more flames. She was completely surrounded by the fire.

Horror was the only emotion her eyes held as four demonic red eyes appeared in the flames.

A thundering voice echoed in the darkness all around her.

"**Did you really think you could destroy me Raven?**"

Raven tried to speak, but found she couldn't. Pain suddenly shot through her body, making her fall to her knees in agony.

"**You can't escape me," **the voice continued. "**You may have destroyed my mortal body, but my soul can not be shattered that easily**."

Raven held her head in her hands as a new wave of agony swept through her.

"**My blood runs through your veins, I am apart of you, that you cannot deny**."

She looked at her hands so find them bleeding from a symbol that made up her worst nightmares. That symbol was sliced into her pale palms. Raven gasped in horror. She tried to cry out but only silence came out of her mouth.

"**I'll make you see the evil side of you, a side from which you cannot run**."

Through the pain, Raven made a ball of black energy and threw it at those demonic eyes. A red-fleshed hand came through the flame and caught it, then clenching it tight before it vanished.

"**You cannot destroy me, dearest daughter. I'll make everyone see the evil part of you that you have tried to lock away."**

Raven screamed. The last thing she saw before she was engulfed by darkness was the fiery red mark of Scath.


	2. Just a bad dream

**Chapter 2**

Raven woke up with a scream. Her body was drenched in sweat and her sheets had twisted themselves around her waist.

It was just a nightmare. Just a nightmare. Everyone had nightmares. It was normal.

Raven thought of it logically. She was human, well, half human in any case. All humans have had a bad dream sometime in their life. It was natural. However, her logic failed to erase the feeling of dread in her stomach.

Why a bad dream about her father? Why not…Beastboy's socks? Now that was scary. Raven shuddered at the thought. _Hasn't he ever heard of 'laundry'?_

Raven smiled slightly to herself. She had feared her father all her life, feared the day that he would finally come to Earth. It was time to accept that he was really gone. She had killed him herself. His gem, his portal, had turned against him.

Another thought struck. Maybe her father had appeared in her dream because, somewhere deep down, so deep she didn't even know it was there, there was a place in her heart that was feeling remorse or guilt. After all, she had killed her father. She searched her feelings. No, that wasn't true; she never cared for her father, choosing instead to loathe him, for using her in his evil plans. She clenched her fists, before letting them relax again.

She looked out the window, and saw the first rays of sunlight. She had better get up, these were the precious hours where no one else was up, the perfect time for meditation. Besides, she liked to watch the sun come up.

After a quick cup of Herbal Tea, Raven walked up to the roof of the tower, gazing upon the sleeping city. It was so beautiful and tranquil. Such a sight would not have been possible had she not defeated her father. Raven positioned herself in her meditating stance.

"Azerath Metrione-…" Suddenly, she saw fire, destruction and four demonic eyes. Raven screamed and fell out of the air. "What was that?" she asked herself. She tried to meditate again, only to receive the same result. Raven held her head in her hands. What was going on? This was like when Trigon was about to use as her as his portal into the mortal world; she couldn't meditate then either.

"Probably still shaken up about that nightmare," said Raven as she placed her hood on her head. She looked toward the sky. Someone else should be up by now.

* * *

"Hey Raven," said the boy with the ebony, hair gel streaked hair, who was currently making bacon and eggs.

"Hi Robin," greeted Raven as she sat down at the bench.

"Want breakfast?" asked Robin. Raven nodded with gratitude. She was pretty hungry.

Robin looked at her with concern. Although she was smiling slightly, he could see her eyes had a slight tint of fear.

"I thought I heard you scream last night," said Robin. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

Although she and Robin had a bond, she didn't feel like going into the aspects of her dream. He would make a big deal out of it.

"Just a bad dream," said Raven unconvincingly, but just then the other Titans walked in, so Robin decided not to press further. That didn't stop him from worrying though.


	3. Starfire's in there!

Chapter 3

The usual argument between the large cybertronic teen and the little green teen broke out.

"Dude! Get that murder meat away from me!"

"It's better than that fake junk you eat!"

"It's tofu and it tastes delicious! Try some!"

"That's so nasty!"

"Is not, it's good! Better than that killed animal you eat!"

"At least meat can be digested!"

Raven rolled her eyes. It was like this every morning. Beastboy wanted tofu and Cyborg wanted meat. Why couldn't they both just eat what they want and not argue about it?

She looked up over her book at Starfire, who was chatting to Robin, while making some Tameranian goo that she was surely going to force down their throats later. And Raven was sure she had only just swallowed the znorfka blangoof Starfire had made last week.

Silkie was sleeping on top of the refrigerator. Although Raven hated to admit it, he looked kinda cute.

"Dude! Get that away from me!"

"How can you deny the all meat experience?"

"No! Let me go!"

"Open up for the meaty airplane, grass stain!"

The two struggling titans suddenly found themselves at a familiar black aura, just before they were thrown into the wall.

They looked at their gothic friend, whose eyes were glowing black. They returned to their normal colour. "Arguing is pointless," said Raven monotonely. "Plus you're giving me a headache." Raven used her powers to place her hood on her head, picked up her book and made her way to the bathroom. She was in the mood for a good long shower.

Outside the living room door, Raven clutched her head with one hand. It felt like it was throbbing under her fingertips. Walking had only made it worse. She couldn't help but curse Beastboy and Cyborg in her mind. Their bickering had really given her a bad headache.

"Raven, wait."

She turned to see the familiar figure of the leader, with a look of concern covering his face.

"Something's not right," he said. "I can feel it. Can you please tell me what's wrong?"

Raven looked away. She knew he would be more worried if she told him and alert the other titans. Right now, she didn't need them to get their noses in her business.

"I won't tell the other titans," said Robin solemnly. "It'll be just between you and me."

"It was just a nightmare," said Raven bluntly. "And this morning I was still thinking about it so I couldn't meditate properly, so now I have this headache. Happy now?"

"Not quite," said Robin. "What was the nightmare about?"

Raven turned away. She didn't want to see his face when she told him, or maybe she didn't want him to see her face.

"My…father." She braced herself for Robin's explosion. It never came. She turned to see a look of all knowing wash across his face.

"That's normal Raven." Robin smiled. "You knew your whole life that he was going to use you. He's gone now. There's no need to be afraid." Raven flashed him a rare smile in gratitude for his comforting words and headed for the bathroom.

Raven let the water fall on her shoulders and soaked her violet hair. She thought about what Robin had said. _You knew your whole life that he was going to use you. He's gone now. There's no need to be afraid_.

_There's no need to be afraid_

… _No need to be afraid_

…_To be afraid_

…_Afraid…_

Robin was right. The nightmare came from past fears she had of her father. But what if Robin was wrong?

That got Raven thinking. Was Robin ever wrong? She tried to recall an event when the leader was not in the right.

When his mind tricked him into thinking Slade was there when he wasn't. He was wrong then. It almost killed him too. Then again, the chemicals in that ancient mask made him think that way, so that didn't really count.

As long as Raven and Robin had known each other, the latter had never been wrong.

Her headache had lessened but wasn't completely gone. Suddenly, there was a bang on the door.

"Raven!" said the familiar voice of Beastboy. "Hurry up! I gotta go!"

"Use the other bathroom!" Raven called back.

"Starfire's in there!" whined Beastboy. Raven rolled her eyes. She turned off the water. It was about time she got out anyway.


	4. Looking for Hatred

Chapter 4

Raven woke up with a scream. It was the same nightmare again. She sighed. It was the third time she had had it. It came back every two or three weeks. And she had the feeling they weren't going to stop anytime soon.

She knew she wouldn't be able to meditate today. It happened whenever that dream re-occurred. She also knew a day without meditation was when she was at her most irritable and weakest. She just hoped they wouldn't have to encounter a villain today. Or that Beastboy didn't try one of his corny jokes in a feeble attempt to make her laugh.

Raven fastened the clip on her cloak and straightened her hair, before heading downstairs to face the other titans. She glanced at her clock. Four in the morning; too early to be up. But she felt wide awake. _At least the other titans won't be up_.

Raven planned to spend the day in her room, after she had gotten herself some herbal tea. She wanted to look through all of her books to find anything on dreams. And with her vast book collection, she'd need a lot of time.

She closed the door behind her, her hot mug in her pale hands. Raven sighed. She knew the other titans wouldn't really bother her, because she spent so much time in her room, but she couldn't help but hope they wouldn't anyway.

Raven thought about which book to start with first. Which took her a good ten minutes, because she had over three hundred last count. She sighed again. She knew which one. Using her powers, she summoned the book. The one she kept under her bed; the one that she had found the mark of Scath in, just after her birthday.

She heard Starfire stir in the room next door, as she nervously opened up the book.

She hadn't realised there were at least three pages describing Trigon, the prophecy, and the doom that was to follow. Raven smiled. The author obviously didn't know Raven's part in Trigon's downfall. She flipped the page. There, taking up a whole page, was the blood red mark of Scath.

It stared back at her for a moment. Then, it started glowing. As quick as a flash, she dropped it, but it fell open on the same page. The pages started flipping furiously. Raven suddenly felt tremendous pain in her chest and her hands. Her room glowed red, as a deep demonic voice echoed.

"**What you have concealed, you will become. You may have destroyed my mortal body daughter, but Earth will still belong to me!"**

Raven screamed. She fell to her knees in pain. Her room seemed to be spinning. Then it stopped. The room stopped glowing red, and the book lay closed on her floor. She used her powers to put it back under the bed. "I knew there was a reason I kept that under there," she muttered to herself. Although most of the pain had gone, her palms still felt like they were burning. She looked at them, and gasped. The mark of Scath was cut into her pale flesh.

* * *

Robin heard a scream coming from Raven's room. It sounded like she was in pain. She could be in danger. And Robin was not a leader who would let his team mates be hurt. Well… she might be fine, but he just had to check anyway.

Raven tried again. These cuts were not normal. She had been trying to heal them before any of the titans saw, but to no avail. She guessed she would have to bandage them.

The bandages were neat and tidy, and almost blended into her pale flesh. Almost. Not enough for the other titans not to notice unfortunately. There was a knock at her door. Raven sighed and pulled on her hood. She opened the door a crack. It was Robin, looking concerned. And that was never good.

"Raven, I heard a scream and… What on Earth happened to your hands?" Raven cursed herself for not hiding them. She knew Robin was only looking out for her, but at that moment, she didn't need him going into her business. The cuts were probably another side-effect from the nightmares. She made a mental note not to read that book again on the days she had the dream, while she made up a lie.

"A new form of meditation I found in my books that I thought I'd try," she said bluntly.

"So you're not hurt?" asked Robin. "But the scream-…"

"Part of the meditation," Raven replied. "Now if you excuse me, I'd like to get back to it." And with that, she closed the door.

She leant on the closed door, suddenly breathing hard. What if her father was trying to reach her, from beyond the grave? Scary thought, but it was a possibility. She decided to confront him. The only way she knew how.

* * *

Raven held her Mirror of Nevermore in her hands. **(A/N: I think that's what it's called. If it's not, can you please tell me!) **She sighed then began to chant.

"Azerath, Metrione, Zinthos."

Everything went black. Raven felt the floor leave her feet. Her room swirled out of sight, and she found herself in the familiar red and black world of her mind.

The crows squawked as she walked past. She turned a corner, and found all of her other selves spread out on the clearing before her.

"Raven!" cried Happy. She ran toward her, and gave her a big hug. "So glad to see you!"

"Not now Happy," said Raven, pushing herself away. "I have urgent business here, now where is she?"

"Where's who Raven?" demanded Courage.

"We're all here, who else do you need?" enquired Knowledge.

Raven stared Knowledge right in the eyes. "Where is SHE?"

"Um… do you mean… um… _Ha-Hatred?_" asked Sadness

"That's exactly who I mean, where is she?" came Raven's sharp reply.

"We couldn't keep her under control," said Knowledge. "So we locked her in the _darkness_…. Hey Raven! Where are you going?" She didn't get an answer. Raven had already left.

Raven found the dark part of her mind. A place she rarely visited. It was a place where she locked bad memories. Her other selves were right to lock Hatred here.

Right at the back, was a dingy, small, dank cell. It appeared to be empty, but right in the corner, was a red-cloaked form of Raven.

"Hello Raven," Hatred snarled in a raspy voice. "Did you come for a chat?"

"I came for answers," replied Raven harshly.

"You mean about your father," Hatred said mockingly. "There's not much I can tell you that you already don't know."

"Why is he trying to contact me?" demanded Raven.

"Trying to warn you," hissed Hatred. "Warn you of certain terrors that are to take place. _He still wants to destroy the world Raven_."

"Impossible, he's dead," snapped Raven. "I destroyed him."

"Oh dear, ignorant Raven," Hatred laughed. "You can't destroy him. He's your father. He created you. _He'll always be a part of you_."

"That's not true," Raven exclaimed.

"Whether or not you believe it," answered Hatred. "Won't stop it from happening. Trigon's coming back Raven. He's becoming stronger. And there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"No, it can't be true," Raven fell to her knees, holding her head. "It can't be!"

Suddenly the mark of Scath glowed in red before her. Raven screamed. Hatred stood up, and held her hands in front of her. She thrust her hands out, sending the mark hurtling towards Raven. Raven was pushed out of the mirror of Nevermore, and she fell unconscious on her bedroom floor.


	5. Unstable

Chapter 5

The Titan alarm rang out. Raven stirred. Her eyes fluttered upon. _What was I doing on the floor?_ Raven picked herself up. She happened to glance at her hands. _What happened to my hands? Why didn't I heal them?_ She began to unwrap the bandages, to see the bloody mark of Scath cut ruthlessly into her palm. She gasped as all the memories came flooding back to her. _Oh yeah. That's why. _She re-wrapped the bandages. _Nothing to worry about Raven. Probably just Hatred mucking with your mind. But she's locked up. Very strange_.

Raven remembered the Titan alarm, pulled on her hood, and quickly hurried to the main room, with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Because of stupid Hatred, she hadn't meditated today. And a day without meditation was when she was at her weakest, and most out of touch with her powers.

"What is it?" she inquired when she burst through the yellow and black doors.

"Cynderblock," replied the black-haired leader. "He's terrorizing the downtown district. Titans GO!"

* * *

Raven sighed, and followed her team mates, knowing she was to fight a losing battle.

Cynderblock threw a car at a nearby office building. The occupants of the building screamed as the car neared their window. Suddenly the vehicle was covered in a black aura, and thrown back at the cement man. The office employees cheered. The titans had arrived.

Raven's head started aching, but she tried to ignore it. She had a duty to the citizens of Jump City to protect them. And that came over her well being.

"Titans go!" yelled Robin, as he took out his bo-staff and jumped at the giant. Cynderblock roared, and attempted to catch the boy wonder, but missed. He felt the bo-staff collide with his head. He roared again.

A green hummingbird transformed into a colossal T-Rex. Cynderblock noticed that he was in a shadow. That was getting larger. He looked up, and saw the underside of a dinosaur, quickly advancing on him. The cement man rolled out of the way, just in time.

"Azerath, Metrione, Zin-…" Raven never finished her spell. A large stone arm had knocked her out of the air, and into a building. She groaned, and placed one hand on her head. Maybe it was a good thing she didn't finish her chant, as today, her powers were very unstable.

"Hey Rae!" called put Beastboy. "You ok?" Raven nodded in response. _Be careful with the powers Raven. You could hurt someone._

Cyborg's sonic cannon pierced the air. "Boo Yeah!" Cynderblock bellowed in pain and frustration. The titans were winning, and he was not pleased. He thrashed his arms about wildly, trying to knock any of the titans out of the air.

Green starbolts hit his stone body. He threw his arm reflectively in the direction of the culprit. Starfire squealed, and dodged the cement limb. His hand got stuck in a brick building.

While Cynderblock was trying to dislodge his hand from the structure of red rock, Robin threw several explosives at his back. Cyborg hit him with his sonic cannon again. Starfire aimed her eye beams toward him, and Beastboy, in the form of a bull, rammed into his leg.

Raven watched her fellow titans fight the monster, and decided she would take a risk, and use her powers.

"Azerath, Metrione, ZINTHOS!" the black energy swirled out of her, and hit the villain with full force. A little too much. Cynderblock's free arm was blasted off. The explosion however, freed his other arm. He ran away from scene of the crime.

Cynderblock was the least of her worries at that moment. The stone arm was falling. Right on top of her friends.

She couldn't use her powers. Not again. This time she knew she would _kill_ her friends. But they would die anyway; no one survives a thousand tonne hunk of cement falling on top of you.

Starfire realised her friends were in danger, and quickly flew up. Using her alien strength, she caught the villain's arm in mid-air.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief. Now, no one had to know that she froze up. They were too busy congratulating Starfire on such a great catch. The corners of her mouth turned up a little. She was glad her friends were ok.

* * *

Back in the Titan's lounge room, all was normal. Almost normal. Beastboy and Cyborg where playing video games, Starfire was reciting all nine thousand and twenty one versus' of the Poem of Happiness to Robin, who wasn't really paying much attention, but reading over some reports of recent crime. Perfectly normal.

Raven however, was trying to read her book, but couldn't concentrate. All her thoughts were swirling in her mind, pushing each other out of the way, and demanding her attention.

_What do these nightmares mean?_

_Why is Hatred doing this to me?_

_How can Hatred do this to me?_

_Why won't Starfire shut up?_

_Why did that book have such an effect on me?_

_How did Hatred manage to push me out of my own mind?_

_What does all this mean?_

Raven sighed, and closed her un-read book. She needed those answers.

She needed them now.


	6. Long time no read

**_Chapter 6_**

Raven poured a circle of powder on her bedroom floor. She lit several candles. Using her powers, she pulled out a book. The Book of Azerath.

"Arzerath Metrione Zinthos… Gonitar Mulgitek Azerath… Azerath AZERATH!!" A ring of light formed around her. Despite herself, a small smile formed on her lips, she was going home. **(A/N: i don't think these are the words she says. I'm only thinking back and spelling out what they sounded like)**

* * *

Raven passed through the purple barrier, and stepped into the streets of Azerath. There were no people in sight, but the city seemed to murmur of her arrival. A white dove flew by. In all the times that Raven had been back, the dove always flew past her. Every time she followed it, it led her to Arella.

Arella must send the dove out to find Raven when she returned. She always knew when her daughter had entered Azerath.

"Arella," cried Raven as she found her.

"Welcome back daughter," greeted Arella. "What is it you need?"

Arella was the only person that Raven never held back in telling her anything. Arella was the only person who could understand sometimes.

Raven finished telling her mother her story, and felt her heart lift. It was good to get it off her chest. She expected a look of all-knowing on Arella's face, but all she saw was concern and sadness.

"I had hoped this wouldn't happen," she said quietly, not looking her daughter in the eyes. "I was afraid this would occur."

"What's happening mother?" Raven inquired. Her eyes were welling up. She tried blinking back the tears, but one escaped and rolled slowly down her cheek. "I'm scared."

"Trigon thought you wouldn't be able to defeat him," Arella explained. "He was wrong. But your father took pre-cautions in case you did." She looked Raven in the eyes. "He implanted part of his soul in your body."

Raven gasped, and clasped her hand to her heart. All this time, she had never suspected a thing.

"If Trigon were to be defeated that soul fragment would grow, and gain power, and when it was ready, it would escape your body."

"That means-…" Raven started.

Arella nodded. "Trigon will walk on Earth once more."

"Is there anyway I can stop it?" asked Raven fearfully. Her heart sank down to her stomach when Arella looked toward the ground. There was no hope. Raven's head hung in her despair.

A thought suddenly struck the older woman. "I do know of someone who might be able to help."

* * *

Raven glared at the chest. With a frustrated sigh, she pulled it open. The chest appeared empty, save for the book in the corner. She pulled it out with disgust, then flipped it open. A pair of moonlight blue eyes gazed at her. 

"Greetings Raven," the book said. "Long time no read."

Raven sniffed haughtily. "Malchior."

* * *

Hey all! i hope you enjoyed! i know it was short, but you can forgive me right?

Please Review!


	7. He's growing stronger

**Chapter 7**

"Why should I help you Raven?" Malchior questioned. "What would I get in return? Relief from this imprisonment perhaps?"

"You're going to stay in that book," she replied harshly.

"Either release me from this cursed book, or I won't help you," he retaliated.

"Or, you can help me, and you won't be beaten, torn and living at the bottom of the sea. Which do you prefer?"

He sighed in defeat. "Fine you win. Tell me why you require my assistance."

"When I was born," she started. "There was a prophecy, that Trigon would use me to get to Earth, and destroy it. The prophecy went…"

"The gem was born of evil's fire," Malchior interrupted.  
The gem shall be his portal.  
He comes to claim. He comes to sire.  
The end of all things mortal."

"How did you know?" said a startled Raven.

"There was a book, written about it," explained Malchior. "It had all the prophecies, and what might happen next. It told the tale of a beautiful girl, who was born of light and darkness. She was sent to Earth, and made friends, but then her evil father, Trigon, used her to take over Earth. It said her body was destroyed, but part of her soul remained, and she killed Trigon. I would've never thought it was about you."

"There's a whole book about me and Trigon?"

"I was about half way through, when that idiot wizard, tried to slay me, and I haven't found another copy since," he said. "So, what was your problem again?"

Raven hesitated. "I defeated Trigon, but apparently, he implanted part of his soul into me, and now it's growing stronger, and he's going to take over the world again."

Malchior's eyes seemed to nod in agreement. "As is the second prophecy."

Raven was shocked again. "A second prophecy?"

"The gem has stopped the evil's fire.

The gem is his portal no longer.

But evil reigns in her veins.

And every hour he's growing stronger," recited the dragon.

The gothic girl thought about what Malchior had said for a moment. "Then what did it say?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"I don't know," he replied. "That was all I read."

Raven was worried. Robin had said she was the most hopeful person he'd ever known. But now, as she thought about it, there was no hope. Trigon was becoming whole again, in her body. It was only a matter of time before he broke loose. Would she be in any condition to fight him? And what about her friends?

…_There is no hope…_

…_No hope…_

… _No hope…_


	8. The Book of Gem

**Chapter 8**

Robin was right. Raven was hopeful. There was just a tiny bit of hope left, and it lay a little ways out of the city, in a stone library. A library as old as the city itself. A library with an underground passageway, that was centuries older than the library. A library where Raven fulfilled the prophecy bestowed upon her as a child.

A library that had changed Raven's life.

"This is it," she informed Malchior, whom she had bought along. Although she still detested him, for betraying her trust, she knew he would be of help in this library. With a few persuasive threats and painful gestures that is.

He rolled his eyes in disgust. "This is it?" he said haughtily. "It looks ghastly. My hat is off to the architect who thought of _this_ – Ow!"

Raven smirked despite herself. Having the dragon sealed in a book did have its advantages.

"If you want me to help you, I wouldn't flick me on the spine."

Raven smiled at him. "Yeah, throwing you down a well is much more effective." The dragon grumbled. She continued. "So unless you want a watery end, I suggest you be a good little dragon, and help."

"….Fine."

"Good boy."

* * *

Raven slid another book off the shelf. She studied its black, leather bound cover. The title had been written on with magic, giving it a grey appearance, but she couldn't tell what it said, because it was composed of symbols she had never seen before.

She held it up for Malchior to see, who was propped open on a table, leaning on a pile of books.

"Ah, the Apocalypse Chronicles," he said. "It's a story about a cocky young wizard, who desired power above all things. He tried to summon the demons of Tiaque, but sent his lover to hell instead."

Raven's violet eyes widened. "Is it a true story?"

The dragon seemed to shake his head with his eyes. "No, but the curse he used is real."

Raven flicked through the pages, and was relieved to see it was written in English. She placed it on an already enormous pile of books. These were ones she planned to take back to the tower, as they sounded a very good read. And one can never have enough books.

Suddenly, Malchior's eyes widened. "There!" he exclaimed. His pages seemed to tremble in excitement; he was almost falling off the table. "To your right, the book with the light coloured spine!"

Raven gingerly pulled said book off the shelf. It wasn't hard to spot, as it was the only light coloured book amongst several dark ones.

The cover was pure white silk. It had real sliver bindings, encrusted with diamonds. The title had been embroided on with great craftsmanship, in blue silky thread. It read "The Book of Gem". Underneath, was a real light blue sapphire, pressed into the silk. Raven thought it was the most beautiful book she had ever seen. If it hadn't been for that ugly mark.

A symbol that looked like a triangle inside a circle, with a big cross running through it was drawn on front in what looked like blood. The empath wrinkled her nose at it, then showed it to the dragon.

His pages drooped slightly when he saw it. "That's it, but it's no use to you now."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Malchior rolled his eyes. "Did you really think that big blood mark was MEANT to be there? It's been touched by the Jigoku Curse."

"The Jigoku Curse?" the Titan inquired. She had read many books, and heard about many different Dark spells, but never had she heard of this one.

"What's with all these questions?" scoffed Malchior. "The last three things you've _said_ to me have been questions!"

**(A/N: How many of you just scrolled up to check?)**

Raven smirked. "Did a certain wizard want to meet the paper shredder?"

"There's another one," he muttered underneath his breath. "The Jigoku Curse is one of the darkest spells there is. And the Book of Gem is one of the purest books. When the Jigoku Curse touched the Book of Gem, light and dark clashed, and the book became unreadable."

Raven opened its yellowing parchment pages. It felt rough and heavy under her fingertips. The dragon was right. Every page was blank.

But still, Raven felt that book alone, was the most important she'd find in the library. The most important she'd probably find in her life time. It may have become blank with dark magic, but it had once contained her past, her future, and her legacy.

It was the most important book she had to bring back to the tower, even if it was blank. She knew she would need it some day.

With a quick glance, she remembered the huge pile of books she wanted to read. She smiled. They would all be given a home at Titans Tower too, especially that 'Apocalypse Chronicles', because that sounded a very good read.

* * *

**So Yay? Nay? too short? too confusing? too frustrating? weak plot line? OOCness? really really crap? don't keep these feelings to yourself, send me a review and vent ur feelings! it'll make u feel better, honestly!**


	9. Away from the shadows

**Chapter 9**

Raven tried to meditate for the tenth time that day. The nightmares were becoming more and more frequent, therefore meditating became increasingly harder. She didn't want to worry the Titans, especially Robin, the tower worry wart, but she thought it was about time to warn them about what might happen. They would freak of course, but as Raven glanced at the 'Book of Gem', which she had left on her beside table, she knew it was the right thing to do. Raven would tell them today.

Just as she was about to try and find the Titans, her communicator bleeped. "_Raven_," said Robin's voice. "_Emergency, get here now_," and with that he disconnected. She sighed. Raven would have to tell them after they dealt with the situation.

* * *

Overload raised his arm, and pounded it into a building. The windows smashed, chunks of concrete fell to the road, and people ran away from the destructive monster, with screams in their throats.

The electric creature didn't have a particular reason for destroying the city, other than he found it very fun.

He bent down to pick up a bus, possibly to throw at some unsuspecting ice rink, when a bright green laser shot his hand. Overload roared in pain, and glared at those who had caused him this agony.

He saw the Teen Titans.

"Don't you think you've had enough, Overload?" spat Robin, bo-staff ready.

The electric monster's anguish turned quickly to rage, as he shot streams of electricity at the teens with a roar.

Cyborg and Beastboy dodged that attack. The changeling turned into a T-Rex, and charged at the monster, while the mechanical boy jumped on his back, sonic cannon at the ready.

Starfire grabbed Robin's foot, and flung him into Overload. He threw some disc explosives, before landing on the ground, and running at him with his bo-staff.

Raven hesitated after dodging the attack. What would happen, should she attack the electric creature, and she lost control of her powers, after not being able to meditate? What would happen if she didn't attack at all?

She gazed at her friends, all risking it all to save their fair city, and decided she must do the same. She sat in her lotus position, floating in the air, and tried to gather her energy.

Suddenly, everything in her vision turned red. There was fire everywhere. Shadows loomed about in the crimson, making her feel claustrophobic. Worst of all was the pain. It started with a pinch in her chest, and was growing bigger and stronger with every second.

Overload looked at the gothic girl with interest. She seemed like she was going to attack him, like the others had, when she began twitching, and breathing heavily. He took this moment of weakness to raise his arm and bat her into the nearest skyscraper, like one would do to a fly.

"Raven!" called Robin, as he saw his team mate fall to the ground, and not fly up again, but couldn't go and help, as Overload turned his attention on him.

Beastboy, who had also witnessed the surprise attack, immediately ran over, after deciding that the other titans could handle Overload for a little while.

Raven was surprisingly, still conscious. She had struggled to her knees, which were grazed and bloodied, such were her hands. They were on her head, gripping her hair. She was breathing in short gasps, and didn't appear to hear Beastboy calling her name, or even feeling his hand trying to get a hold of her shoulder.

"Raven?" asked Beastboy quietly. Her eyes didn't even flicker. "Can you hear me?" He tried again, trying to gently pry her arms from her head. "Is it your head? Does it hurt?" There was still no response, except a soft mumble, which Beastboy only just heard. "_I can't…_"

"You can't? You can't what? Raven?" said Beastboy. He glanced back at how the other Titans were fairing, just in time to see Starfire and Cyborg bust open a few fire hydrants. Overload's electrical body disappeared with the water, leaving only the disc that served as his head.

They practically flew over to Raven and Beastboy. Robin kneeled down on Raven's other side, placing his arm around her shoulders. "Raven?" he said softly.

Raven gasped, and gave a groan, before her hands gripped her stomach, as though it might fall out.

"Raven, what's wrong?" all the titans asked frantically.

"_No_," Raven mumbled. "_No… No… No…"_

"RAVEN!" Robin half-yelled, as if raising his voice would somehow make her hear him.

"GET AWAY!" shouted Raven. Black energy lashed out from her body, throwing the titans in different directions. She leapt to her feet, and ran. She stumbled, but remained standing. When the titans looked back, she had disappeared in a cloud of black magic.

* * *

Everything was red, and the pain was overwhelming.

"_Raven? Raven!" _It sounded like Beastboy, but she knew there was no way to talk to him directly.

"**My dear daughter**," came a voice. Raven didn't even need to look to know that it was Trigon.

"What do you want?" she snapped as harshly as she could, considering she was in agony.

"**What should have been mine in the first place**," he responded. "**This Earth to be my empire.**"

"I can't let you," Raven said, standing up, one hand on her stomach.

"**You don't have a choice dear child,"** he said mockingly. He raised his hand toward her. Shadows came from behind him, and swooped at the teen. As they hit her, they each caused a new wave of pain. She groaned, stifling the scream that was in her throat, knowing it would only give her father satisfaction to hear her cry out.

"**I think the first I shall kill, will be those pathetic titans you call your friends,"** Trigon laughed.

"No," mumbled Raven. "No, no, no!" Trigon laughed again, and left his daughter in pain.

The shadows crowded her, closing in, making it hard to breathe.

"GET AWAY!" she yelled, and sent them flying back with her powers. She ran. She thought she could hear the titans calling her, but she continued to run. She hadn't realised she had been brought back to the real world. She didn't realise that her friends were right there.

She just wanted to run, get as far away from the shadows, from her father, and what she knew was going to happen, as possible.

* * *

"_Ok Titans," Robin commanded. "Raven is out there. I don't know what's wrong with her, possibly it's some trance, but whatever it is, you must be careful."_

They had been searching for three hours. It was dusk, and getting darker by the minute.

"Raven?" called Beastboy, as he transformed from an eagle into a human again. He and Starfire would be searching by birds eye view **(A/N: No pun intended) **while Robin and Cyborg would be searching by road, in their respective vehicles.

"Raven!" Beastboy yelled. They were never going to find her. She could have zapped herself to another dimension by now.

Suddenly, Beastboy's sharp hearing heard something. A quiet sobbing. He paused to listen, before he heard a snippet of a familiar voice in the sobs. "Raven," he muttered quietly to himself, before turning into an eagle again, to pinpoint the location of the crying.

A heap of blue material awaited him, in the darkest corner of a back alley. He could just see Raven's face, underneath the cloak. It was tear-streaked. She cried into a fold of her cloak.

"Raven?" Beastboy asked quietly, kneeling down beside her.

"_Beastboy_," she murmured quietly. "_Help."_ This alarmed Beastboy quite a bit. Although somewhere in his subconscious, he knew Raven would be needing help, but the whole of his brain realised it now.

"Help with what Raven?" a stupid question, he knew. But with Raven, it could be help with getting back to the tower, or help her out of this trance thing she was in.

"_Trigon."_

"He's gone, you don't have to worry," he said, even though the sound of his name made him freak out a little.

"_Inside…soul…stronger… trying…get..."_ Raven managed the words out through raspy breaths. Then, she passed out.


	10. Remember

**Chapter 10**

"Still out cold," reported Cyborg, to the Boy wonder, who was sitting at the computer terminal.

"Do we know what caused it?" Robin inquired. The mechanical boy shook his head. "All tests came back negative. Whatever it is, it isn't physical."

Robin gritted his teeth. He hated not being able to know. Especially if it involved his friends well-being. Beastboy reported that Raven had said a few words before she passed out. Robin had been analysing them since.

"It doesn't make any sense," he said to no one in particular. He turned to Cyborg. "I want to be on the safe side. One of us is always to be in there with Raven, and to report any changes." The older boy nodded in response, and returned back to the medical room.

They had bandaged up the worst of the cuts, but that barely made her look better. Her face was paler than usual, and her breathing was shallow. Her eyelids were twitching, as if she was having a horrible nightmare, which she couldn't wake up from.

Cyborg looked over her medical records that he kept on file, next to the other titans medical records. Last time he had seen her hurt this badly, was when Beastboy had been the beast, but that time, she was floating in a trance, healing herself. This time, she was too weak, he saw that immediately.

"Oh Raven," her murmured more to himself than to the girl on the bed. "I wish you could tell us what is wrong with you."

The next day, Raven's condition had not changed. The titans gathered in the medical room.

"I think Raven," started Robin in a whisper. He didn't want to wake the girl, though she wouldn't have heard him anyway. "Was trying to tell Beastboy what's happening to her, but couldn't get the words out. Beastboy, you said she mentioned Trigon?" he asked the changeling.

Beastboy nodded. The boy wonder glanced at each of the titans worried faces before continuing. "I think that Trigon may have found a way to come back." The others gasped.

"No way," Cyborg argued. "Everyone here saw Raven destroy him." Robin nodded again. "Another theory, is that Trigon left a bit of himself inside of her, and it's killing her from the inside out."

"He must be stopped!" cried Starfire, raising her fist in her apparent rage.

"But how? How do we stop Trigon, without hurting Raven?" Cyborg questioned. The alien girl lowered her hand, and let her head drop.

"If Trigon is involved, we'd better be prepared," declared Robin. "Cyborg, do you remember the safe room we built for Raven last year? Update it with some medical machines, to move Raven into. Starfire, I know Raven doesn't like it, but I need you to go into her room and see if you can't find anything in her books about this. Beastboy, it's your shift to stay here and watch Raven, report back if there are any changes."

Beastboy looked at the ebony-haired Titan. "And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to keep on analysing Raven's recent behaviours, and what she said to you before she passed out." The titans nodded, and left to do their set tasks.

* * *

Starfire stood in front of Raven's bedroom door, knowing that what she was about to do, was virtually unthinkable in the Titans Tower. She swallowed hard, puffed out her chest, and gently eased the door open.

Before her, in the dark bedroom, was more books then she could've ever imagined. She never knew that Raven owned so many. The shelves that covered three of her walls, were absolutely stuffed with them. There were neat piles in the corners, and upon further investigation, Starfire found more books in the cupboard, and in one of the two trunks that stood against the remaining wall. The other was empty. The alien decided not to touch the books in the cupboards, as they were next to several strange ingredients, so she assumed they were potions and spell books.

One book in particular caught her attention. It rested on Raven's bedside table, as if she were reading it before she had gone to bed. It was the brightest white cover in the room, and Starfire didn't much like the thought of stifling through the many black tomes Raven possessed.

The cover was white silk, and was adorned with a few sapphires and diamonds. The title, was written in blue silk thread. But scribbled over the top, as if someone had the intention of graffiti, was a red symbol Starfire didn't recognise. She widened her eyes when she saw the title under the vandalism. 'The Book of Gem'. She quickly opened its thick parchment pages, but her face fell, when it contained nothing but… nothing.

Starfire debated with herself for a few minutes, and then decided it was best to alert Robin.

"Robin, I have located a book entitled 'The Book of Gem'," she said through her communicator.

"And, what does it say?" Robin questioned.

"Nothing," replied Starfire.

"Nothing useful?" Robin inquired.

"No, nothing at all." If Robin thought it weird for an empath to have a blank book, he didn't voice his thoughts. "Keep searching then Starfire."

* * *

Beastboy wished he could help Raven, other than just sitting in the medical room with her. He twiddled his thumbs then breathed a heavy sigh. As he did, he happened to look down at his shoes, and notice one of his shoelaces were untied. Eager that he had something to do other than sitting there, he immediately bent down and began tying them up. After all, a super hero should never have untied shoes.

He caught a flicker of colour out of the corner of his eye. He sat up and scanned the room. Nothing had changed. He slumped back in his seat. Maybe he imagined it.

He saw it again. Another flicker of colour. He knew he had seen it that time. And he knew it looked familiar. Beastboy searched his mind as to where. His eyes widened when he remembered. As he picked up his communicator, he hoped Cyborg did too.

* * *

Cybrog wiped his brow. Another few minutes, and he would have the medical equipment in the safe room up and running. He was quite pleased with himself, with how fast he managed to install the machinery.

His communicator beeping brought him out of his thoughts. Probably Robin checking on his progress. He clicked it open.

"Yeah it's going all-… Beastboy?" he asked in surprise, when he realised it was not the masked face of their leader, but rather the green face of the changeling.

"Yo Cy, do you remember when we went in Raven's mind, and all her emotions were represented by other Ravens in different coloured cloaks?" Beastboy inquired.

"Yeah, what about it?" the mechanical teen replied.

"What did the dark red one represent?"

Cyborg paused to think for a bit. "It meant-…" realisation hit him. "Oh no…"


	11. Four red eyes

**Chapter 11**

Raven suddenly screamed. A wave of energy swept out from her, knocking Beastboy back. His body hit the medical machinery behind him, but his mind didn't register the discomfort at that moment, he was focused on Raven.

Her body twisted in pain. She let out strangled cries of agony. Her eyes constantly flickered between four eyes and two, as did her cloak; from red to blue.

Beastboy longed to over and help, though he was unsure of how he would do that, but surges of power kept pushing him back. All he could do was yell. "Fight it Raven!"

Robin pulled open the door, but was immediately blown back into Cyborg, who followed him with a look of worry and panic on his face.

The robotic boy gripped the door frame, feeling himself being pushed back. Starfire did the same, one hand on the door handle, the other securely around Robin's wrist; stopping him from flying out the window.

* * *

Raven continued to contort in agony, struggling to hold back her cries of pain.

"Why do you resist me Raven?" She saw her father's demonic face in her minds eye. He stood ankle deep in lava, surrounded by fire and ashes. Trigon smirked at her. "It is futile."

"No!" Raven cried, as a fresh wave of agony coursed through her veins.

"It's been fun dear daughter," Trigon laughed cruelly, "But this, will surely be your demise." Raven's vision became encased in red, as her father took control of her body.

* * *

The titans breathed a short sigh of relief when the sounds of Raven's power stopped, but held their breath in fear of their gothic friend.

A silhouette appeared; a black shadow amongst the dust.

"Raven!" Robin called, joy apparent in his voice. The other titans cheered quietly, happy the empath appeared unharmed. Their delight quickly turned to fear as 'Raven' opened her eyes.

Her four ruby red eyes.

* * *

_Hehe, miss me? to be quite honest, i had this written in my notepad (composed during Geography class) for ages, but i think it was pure laziness that stopped me from typing it up. that and school work (always blame school work) XD. n e who, i betcha all hate me now. not only do i disappear for ages, i give you a short chappie. i figured, if i didnt stop it there, i wouldn't know when to. if you want, you can yell at me, as long as you review! the next chappie will be up sooner i promise!!  
_


	12. Prisoner of your own Mind

**Chapter 12**

Trigon glared at the titans through his daughter's eyes. How he loathed them. He very much wanted to rip out their intestines and show them the bloody mess before they died.

_Soon_, he thought to himself. _Very soon_. Trigon used his tremendous power to burn a hole through the wall. It smashed, and rubble showered all over the once pristine medical room. Before the dust settled, Trigon flew at a terrifying speed out the hole and out of sight.

* * *

Raven sat alone. She felt she knew all too well what the saying 'prisoner of your own mind' meant. She knew she was trapped in the depths of her thoughts, on a floating hunk of rock. This place of Nevermore was darker and gloomier than usual, and there was an unfamiliar hint of blood lust floating in the air, making it all the more horrifying. Even the ravens that inhabited her mind were cold and distant, looking at her with disdain. Raven had never felt so alone in her life.

She wrung her head in frustration. Why was she always so secretive? Why did she feel like she had to keep _this _from her friends?

_You didn't want to worry them _came a voice that echoed all around her. A lot of good that did, for she knew they would be more than worried now.

They would be petrified.

* * *

There was no sign of Raven, or rather Trigon. They could no longer see the cloaked figure, only the gaping hole that had been left behind.

They suddenly heard a groan, coming from underneath the rubble.

"BEASTBOY!" they hollered together, pulling the wreckage out of the way in search of the fallen friend.

It was several minutes before Robin found a gloved hand. The fingers had been ripped to reveal the green skin underneath.

"Over here!" the masked titan called to the others, as he began digging the changeling out.

When they finished unearthing him, they were horrified at the state he was in. Beastboy was unconscious, but his face displayed an expression of unmistakeable pain. There was a gash along his cheek, and his ankle was in an odd, rather painful looking position. His shirt had been ripped, revealing a long cut, running from his right shoulder to the bottom of his rib cage on the left, in a ragged line.

While Robin was extremely worried about his green friend, he knew that the city was depending on the titans to save them from what ever horror Trigon was about to unleash. He hoped that it wasn't too late to save Raven. "Cyborg," he said, sounding more confident than he felt. "Stay here and take care of Beastboy. Starfire and I will find Raven." And with that, he and Starfire left.


	13. It's not a dream

**Chapter 13**

'_What a horrible dream,_' thought Beastboy. He had dreamed that Raven had been taken over by Trigon and now was loose in the city. Thank goodness it was only a dream. He didn't think he could take on Trigon again.

This was when he opened his eyes. His surroundings were not that of his messy room, but rather the couch in the titan's living area. How did he end up here? Maybe he had fallen asleep watching some movie. Yes, that must have been it. He tried to sit up when sudden, excruciating pain shot through his torso like a bullet. He couldn't help but cry out a little; it hurt so much.

Cyborg came running when he heard the changeling cry out. "Hey, take it easy man," he said softly, as he gently pushed Beastboy back down into a lying position. "Raven did quite a number on you."

It was then that Beastboy saw that he lay shirtless on the couch, and bandages were wrapped securely around his ribcage. His boots had been removed, and one ankle was heavily bandaged, and an ice pack was resting on top of it. Although it was numb, he could still feel it throbbing uncomfortably. There was a bandage stuck to his cheek.

"So it wasn't a dream after all," sighed Beastboy. "Trigon really is back."

"Be more of a Nightmare wouldn't it?" said Cyborg, smiling slightly to himself despite the situation they were in. He went and got a glass of water, then returned to the couch. He gently eased Beastboy up, and then sat behind him, so Beastboy could lie on him. "You should drink this," he said, offering the glass of water. Beastboy took it, and tried to drink, but ended up spilling it because of his weakened state, so Cyborg gently took the glass off him, and helped him drink it. Beastboy mumbled something incomprehensible.

"What was that?" asked Cyborg.

"Why didn't she tell us?" the changeling replied. "I mean, all those problems with Trigon coming _last _time, you'd think she'd at least tell us this time. Doesn't she trust us?"

"You know she does B," answered the metal man soothingly. "Raven's been pretty much alone all her life. She's not used to be able to depend on other people."

"Or maybe she didn't want to worry us."

"That too," said Cyborg with a small smile. "Though I suspect she didn't quite know what was happening herself."

Suddenly, the TV turned into communicator mode, and Robin's face appeared on the screen.

"Cyborg, is Beastboy alright?" the spiky haired leader asked, the concern evident on his face.

"He'll be fine," the metal man replied.

"Then we could use your help finding Ra-…Trigon." Cyborg had noticed this slip of the tongue, but chose not to comment on it. Last time they had fought Trigon, he was a figure that terrified their dreams. This time, he had taken over Raven's body. It was hard to think of fighting Trigon without thinking of fighting Raven too.

"On my way," the metal man said, before ending communication.

"Right, let's go," said Beastboy as he tried to get up. Cyborg was quick to push him back down.

"You need to stay here and rest," he said sternly. He pointed out the security cameras on the roof. "I'm going to turn those on, so I'll know whether you move or not." Usually, they were only turned on at night time, or when everyone was out, but by turning them on now, an alarm would go off if anyone tried to break in, Cyborg would be alerted and he would rush back. He couldn't leave Beastboy alone without some kind of defence. He put the green teen's communicator on the coffee table beside the couch. "Ring me if there's an emergency," he said, and with that, he took his leave.

* * *

"_On my way."_

Trigon smiled to himself. He had sensed rather than heard Cyborg say that. Sometimes his daughter's body wasn't all that useless after all. It was too small for his liking however, and not nearly as powerful as his own. He shrugged. All in due time. First he had to get rid of those titans. Trigon remembered sourly how their teamwork and friendship had helped defeat him last time. He clenched his teeth at the memory. It made him sick. He would have to take them all out before attempting to create a new body worthy of him. When better than when they were all separated? Trigon chuckled. It would be easy. He would start, he decided, with the weakest link; Beastboy.

* * *

_No_, Raven thought. Anything but that. She couldn't bear it if her friends died. "No," she shouted. "No, no, NO!" her father ignored her, though she felt him smile with smug arrogance. He loved to make her suffer. Killing the titans had gotten all the more thrilling for him.

"I won't let you," Raven said. New determination cursed through her veins, giving her strength. It wouldn't last for long, she knew, but she hoped it would be enough to help her fellow titans.

* * *

Beastboy tried shifting his position, and then groaned with the effort. He hadn't been in this much pain for a long time; usually, Raven healed any injuries. But this time, Raven couldn't help him.

The last time he remembered being in this much pain, was after his first Doom Patrol mission. All the mistakes of a rookie. He had been careless, and wandered into a trap. The enemy ambushed him, and he had frozen with fear.

They had gotten him pretty bad that day. But this felt a thousand times worse. At least then, he had had his fellow Doom Patrol members with him. At least he had been safe inside their head quarters. Now he was all alone. His friends could be in serious danger, and he was in no position to help. Heck, he couldn't even save himself if someone (he tried not to think of who) attacked the tower. He had never felt this helpless, or useless, or anxious in his life. It was suffocating.

Almost drowning in these emotions, Beastboy nearly didn't notice another presence in the room. It was his animal instincts that sensed it, while his human side was wallowing in despair. Beastboy was thankful for that as he reached towards the communicator.

A hand grabbed his wrist, and another was pressed against his mouth to prevent him from screaming. He struggled to escape as his injuries protested the movement. A small part of his brain told him that he couldn't escape in his condition, but it was overpowered by panic.

"Stop that," came a voice. "Before you hurt yourself."

The person removed their hands from his wrist and mouth and placed them on his chest. Beastboy was about to protest when he felt a sudden warmth coursing through his veins, and the pain ebbing away. He looked at this mysterious person and gasped.

"Raven?" he blinked, his mouth opening and closing in his shock. "A-are you-…?"

"I'm not Trigon if that was what you were about to ask," she interrupted, her hands moving from his chest to his shoulder. "I managed to get control again, but it won't last long." She winced and Beastboy saw her hands shudder. Raven clenched her jaw. Sweat poured down her face, and she looked paler than usual. Beastboy could see what she meant; Trigon was fighting back, slowly draining her strength.

"Why didn't you let me call the others?" he asked, as she turned her attentions to his ankle. "We could have helped."

"No," she replied. "Trigon wants to destroy you all. I wasn't going to help by bringing you all into the same place."

Dread settled into the pit of Beastboy's stomach. "Wh-what about me?" he stuttered, his voice catching in his throat. She hesitated before she replied. "He was going after you first, because you're injured. I wanted to give you a fighting chance." With that she placed her hands by her sides, her fingers tightly clenched in fists. "That should do."

Beastboy gingerly got to his feet. He felt a little sore, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before.

"There isn't much time," Raven said hurriedly. "I'll hold him off for as long as possible. Get away as fast as I can."

"But Raven-…"

"GO!"

Raven watched him run through the door before she closed her eyes, feeling her hold over her father grow weaker by the second. She could still feel the changeling's presence in the tower. She could only hope that he could escape in time.

* * *

Cyborg's arm started bleeping. He looked and his stomach flipped.

_Intruder Alert_.

He practically flew back to his car, and drove so fast that the engine started to protest, which was saying something, as it was one of the most advanced engines ever built.

He made it to the tower, and what he saw made his drop to his knees.

Titan's Tower was destroyed.


	14. Her Family

**Chapter 14**

"Beastboy!" Cyborg yelled, pushing aside large amounts of debris. "Can you hear me?"

The communicator in his arm went off. He considered ignoring it in favour of searching for Beastboy, but thought better of it. Robin would want to know what was going on, and maybe he had some valuable information that he should hear,

"Cyborg I heard… What's wrong?" the leader's face changed to one of concern, as he took in Cyborg's sweaty and dirty appearance and desperate expression.

"Tower- Beastboy," Cyborg could only speak in fragments, his mind was still full of shock.

"Cyborg, what happened?" Robin demanded, his order laced with worry. "Where's Beastboy?"

Instead of trying to explain, Cyborg held out his arm, so that the camera pointed at the ruins.

He could hear shaken incoherent noises coming from his communicator. He himself didn't make any noises, just hung his head.

"I should have been there," he mumbled. "I should have known."

"Cyborg, this is not your fault. How could you have known?" Cyborg looked at the black-haired boy, discontent with the statement.

"I'm going to contact Starfire, and we'll get there as soon as possible. Ten, fifteen minutes tops," said Robin, his voice full of authority again. "In the mean time, you search for Beastboy, and let us know if you find him." The screen turned black, Cyborg stared at it for a moment, open-mouthed. He would never understand how Robin could remain so calm at a time like this. One friend had been possessed by her father who was bent on the world's destruction, and another was possibly crushed by the ruins of their home.

Shaking his head to clear the disbelief out, he resumed his search for Beastboy. "I'm going to find you Beastboy," he mumbled, more to himself. "I won't let you down."

* * *

"_I won't let you down_."

Trigon smiled. Even with his daughter's interference (he mentally kicked her again), everything was going according to plan. Beastboy was still alive, he could feel that, but barely. Now Cyborg had arrived, and he knew the other titans were on their way. He only had to bide his time, then he could destroy the titans all at once. Then he might have gathered enough strength to create his own body, and discard the petit one he had now.

Everything seemed to be going his way.

* * *

Raven heard her father's thoughts. Her efforts in trying to save Beastboy had obviously been in vain, and she didn't have enough strength to try again. She cringed from the mental kick her father had given her in the ribs.

It didn't feel nearly as bad as the feeling of letting her friends down, of putting them and the entire world in danger.

A tear squeezed its way out and slid down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry…"

* * *

After several minutes, Cyborg still hadn't found Beastboy, and the other titans were no where to be seen. He honestly couldn't remember a time when he felt more anxious, nor more afraid. Beastboy was counting on him to keep him safe, and he wasn't there. Robin and Starfire were counting on him to find their green friend, and he couldn't. And Raven…

He should have sensed something was wrong, and tried to talk to her. Raven was a complicated person, but Cyborg was one of the few people she trusted. And he had let her down.

He was a failure as a friend.

The sound of a cough brought him out of his thoughts. It sounded like…

"Beastboy!" he ran over to where he heard the noise, and dug furiously. He found a green hand, followed by an arm, which was attached to the torso of the changeling.

He was conscious, and looked up at Cyborg, and grinned at him.

Cyborg began to check over his injuries. He frowned. That wasn't right, all previous injuries he had were healed. Now that Cyborg thought of it, this area wasn't where the living room was at all. It was nearer to the stairs that led to the roof. Beastboy was trying to escape.

Cyborg opened up his communicator. "I found him Robin, he's alright." The black haired leader smiled at him.

"Good work. Starfire and I will resume the search for Trigon, but I think you should stay there with Beastboy."

"Roger that."

* * *

Trigon was furious. He had thought Beastboy would be dead by the time Cyborg found him. That boy was too resilient for his liking. How many times did he have to kill him? And now the Titans weren't going to rendezvous, so he couldn't take them all out at once.

Oh well. At the very least he could kill Cyborg and Beastboy at the same time. He chuckled to himself. That would be very enjoyable.

Unseen by the teenagers, he stood up, taking care to stick to the shadows. His daughter's body was significantly less powerful than his own, but it would get the job done. Besides, he knew far more destructive and dark magic than she could ever dream. It would be easy.

* * *

Raven felt her father's mounting blood lust. She knew he would attack her friends soon.

A thought struck her. Her body wasn't nearly as strong as his. Last time she had defeated him using her will, and the love and support of her friends. Trigon had no sense of these emotions, only greed and hatred. In his current state, he might be able to hurt her friends, but he would never kill them; their will was jus as strong as hers, and they had each other. She allowed herself to relax slightly.

Something still didn't feel right though. She knew her friends would not be seriously hurt, but her father's blood lust scared her.

Then she sensed it. Dark magic. Her father was going to use dark magic. It felt blacker, more sinister than the magic Malchior had tried to teach her. It was growing stronger. It seemed to have a mind of its own. It was hungry; it wanted to devour their flesh. It wanted it feel the warm blood, hear their dying screams. It wanted to destroy their very souls. And Raven knew that if it got far enough, it would.

She had to do something. She gulped. She had been punished severely after taking over to heal Beastboy, and she hadn't regained her strength. But she had to try. She wanted, _needed_, to save her friends. They were all she had. They were her…. _family_. She felt warm at that thought. That's exactly what they were. She had never had a proper family. She was alone most of her life. Then she met the Titans, and she felt happier and safer than she had in years.

With this thought, she pushed with all her strength. She thought she could gain control for about a second. A second was all she needed.

Trigon shouted at her, and tried to force her back, but she kept pushing. She could barely hear his threats or feel the blows through her effort.

Finally she did it; she was out in the sunshine, in the fresh air, after so long of being a prisoner inside her own body. But she didn't notice these things. She could already feel Trigon trying to contain her again. She only had a second.

Raven took a deep breath.

"WATCH OUT!"


	15. Having a whale of a time

**Chapter 15**

Cyborg heard a cry. It sounded like Raven. He turned, and saw her, flying towards him. He felt relieved for a second, as it sounded as though Raven had regained control. His good feelings disappeared shortly after, as he realised this Raven had a dark red cloak, and four glowing crimson eyes.

He grabbed Beastboy around the middle and bolted to the side. A beam of black magic struck the earth where he had been only microseconds before.

"You ready for this BB?" Cyborg asked, never taking his eyes off Trigon.

"Dude," Beastboy replied, standing up and stretching. "I was born ready."

Cyborg aimed his cannon at Trigon. Trigon floated very still, smirking, challenging Cyborg to hit him. The metallic man missed, but Trigon had not moved.

Beastboy charged at the demon, transforming into a bear as he did so. Cyborg saw a glimpse of confusion from the animal's eyes as he passed. He couldn't understand why Cyborg had missed the shot.

Cyborg had missed deliberately. He was afraid of hurting Raven. It may be Trigon on the inside, but it was still her body. Trigon avoided the attack of Beastboy, and looked at the metallic teen. His sharp demon eyes saw the uncertainty etched on the face of the tall titan; torn between wanting to destroy the evil, but terrified of hurting his friend. Trigon smirked, and charged towards Cyborg, intent on using his weakness against him. He made sure to give Cyborg plenty of openings for an attack. He knew the titan would see all these opportunities. He wanted them to feel more conflicted. So many times when Cyborg could attack, but wouldn't. It made Trigon smile.

Beastboy transformed back into his human form. He saw the way Cyborg was avoiding the attacks from Trigon, but never countered.

"CYBORG!" he hollered. "That's not Raven! You need to attack, it's the only way to save her!"

Cyborg looked towards the changeling, and nodded, a smile appearing on his face. He started firing his cannon again, this time intent on hitting the demon. Beastboy grinned, before turning into a T-rex.

Trigon scowled. This was not how it was meant to go. They were meant to not attack, they were meant to let him have an easy victory. He really didn't feel like using actual energy to defeat these teenagers, but now it seemed he had no choice. He would start with the smaller titan, the one that was already injured.

He shot a beam of dark energy at Beastboy. The changeling couldn't dodge it in time. It pierced his side. Beastboy screamed, and fell to his knees, clutching his side. Using his powers again, Trigon flicked him into the ocean surrounding Titans Tower.

Cyborg bellowed and charged at the demon. He shot another cannon fire. This time it struck Trigon in the chest. Trigon snarled, and reached for the boy's chest which lightning quick speed. Once he felt his fingers on the metal chest plate, Trigon surged dark energy into it. Electricity was flying everywhere as Cyborg yelled in agony. Trigon pulled his hand away. Cyborg fell to the ground, his blue circuitry turning black. Trigon used his energy to throw him into the ocean as well.

He felt the ocean depth's with his mind. He couldn't feel the metal man's conscious, or his heartbeat, though he doubted the teen actually had one. He could feel the green one's heartbeat, but not his conscious. Trigon assumed that he was unconscious and would drown soon. He turned towards the city and smiled. He had other business to attend to.

Beastboy saw Trigon leave from the crevasse he had hidden in. He removed his tentacles slowly. The gash in his side was throbbing; there was no way Beastboy could fight in his condition. He couldn't stay in the water for long either; soon the sharks would come after him. He was about to find somewhere safe to surface when something shiny caught his eye. He turned. It was Cyborg, sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Ignoring the pain in his side, Beastboy transformed into a whale. He caught Cyborg and swam, hoping he could reach safety before his body gave out on him.


	16. It's Time

**Hey guys, welcome to chapter 16. I know I have been rather bad at updating this, seeing as I've been writing it since I was about 14, and now I'm 18. Well, I've graduated from high school now, and since I'm from Australia, I have to wait until March before I can start uni. THEREFORE I should be able to upload this a lot faster. I predict about 2 or 3 chapters left in this story. After that, I think I'll go back and edit some of the earlier chapters. They bring me great shame  
**

**Also, please remember that Trigon is currently possessing Raven's body.**

* * *

Trigon had never felt better. Thus time, he knew he had to destroy the titans _before _he claimed the earth as his own. This included his daughter. As far as he was concerned however, she would be the easiest. As he grew stronger he could feel her presence grow weaker. Soon, he would have enough power to create his own physical body, one more fitting to his massive strength. If Raven survived this process, (something Trigon very much doubted) she would be in no condition to stop him. No one would be able to stop him.

* * *

"Cyborg!" Robin yelled into his communicator. "Cyborg, respond! Answer me!"

"Perhaps he is taking another call?" offered Starfire, but Robin could tell she believed that as much as he did. Something horrible had happened to their metal friend. This also meant that Beastboy was in danger, as he was injured and Cyborg would have had to protect him.

Robin ran his hand through his hair roughly. He was wracked with worry, as any friend would be. However, he still had to concentrate on the well-being of his city. Luckily, he saw a solution that might solve both his problems.

"Cyborg's last known position was Titan's Island," he said, thinking aloud. "Beastboy was there too. If Cyborg's not responding, he's either out of battery, or attacked." Starfire listened intently, knowing the leader of the titans was formulating a plan.

"Most likely, it was Trigon, so our best bet would be to go to Titan's Island. If anything, we'll probably find Cyborg and Beastboy."

"And what if Trigon remained there?" Robin didn't reply.

* * *

Trigon looked upon the remains of the Titan's Tower with scorn. It had been his throne in a past life. He had meant for it to be ironic; their stronghold had become a symbol of his power and control. Now, he loathed the sight of it, even though it was in ruins. Still, he thought it fitting to sit among the destruction he had caused. Trigon was getting a taste of the world he was destined to cause, and he loved it. All he had to do was bide his time until he was strong enough to create a physical body, before he hunted down the remaining two titans. It wouldn't be much longer. The world would soon belong to him.

"Cyborg!"

Trigon's ear twitched. It was the 'leader' brat of the titans

"Beastboy!"

And there was the red-headed cry baby. Of course they were looking for their friends. And here Trigon was thinking how pleasant it would be to obliterate them in his demonic form. However, if they were so willing to come to him for their demise, he wouldn't deny them.

* * *

Robin's methods seemed sound. He would be searching the north side of the island, while Starfire would investigate the south. He heaved another large slab of concrete out of the way. He had to find his friends. He was their leader. It was his job to make sure they didn't get hurt and now…

A scream pierced the air. Robin's head turned so fast he was sure he had given himself whiplash. He only knew one person who could reach such a high frequency.

"Starfire!"

He took off towards the south side. He refused to lose another friend. If Raven could not be saved, and if it was too late for Cyborg and Beastboy, then it would only be Starfire and him. If something happened to Starfire, Robin would be alone. He would have lost his family. With this thought in mind, he doubled his speed.

Robin rounded the corner, just in time to see Starfire fly into a pile of rubble. Trigon floated calmly and triumphantly after her. He turned his head, and smiled at Robin, who could practically feel the wicked grin etch itself into his nightmares.

"I see you've come to play," said Trigon, in an almost child-like manner. He flew down to where Starfire was pulling herself out of the wreckage. He stopped when his face was centimetres from hers. "Good thing too; I was getting lonely after the green one and the metal one drowned." He raised a shield of Raven's dark magic to deflect an explosive Robin had hurled his way.

"You're lying!" yelled Robin.

Trigon smirked. "And yet, they're not here."

Robin threw another bomb, which Trigon expertly dodged. However, getting out of the path of the projectile put him straight into the path of Starfire's eye beams. The force of the attack knocked Trigon back. He just managed to keep himself in the air. His smile was replaced with a look of pure loathing and malice.

How could they have hit him? Trigon was outraged and confused, until he felt his daughter's weak presence. She was preventing him from using the full capabilities of her body by a tiny amount. However, that tiny amount might prove to be his downfall.

Starfire aimed more eye beams at Trigon, whilst Robin threw what ever weapons he had in his utility belt. The two titans were unrelenting. Trigon was continuously dodging their attacks, leaving him no time to counter-attack. He gritted his teeth. Damn their team work.

Robin launched his last bomb at Trigon, before extracting his bo-staff and charging at him.

Suddenly, Trigon's face split into a huge grin. The once angry demon was…_laughing_. The change in demeanour stunted the titans.

"It's time!" Trigon bellowed to the heavens. "It's finally time!"

He flew Raven's body high into the sky, as the winds around them started blowing furiously. The earth itself seemed to shake as the sky darkened.

In horror, Robin and Starfire watched a massive hand that seemed to come out of Raven's form. It was followed by a red arm and then, a head, with billowing white hair and blood red eyes. His evil cackle resounded over the entire city.

* * *

Aqualad jumped over another rock. There had been an intruder alert along the perimeter of their tower, and Bumblebee required that everyone investigate. Aqualad thought their guest might be a seal or another marine creature, as their base was next to the ocean. His presence seemed to attract them.

He saw something that made him frown. There was blood in the water, and some splashed onto the rocks.

Aqualad doubled his speed, intent on finding the injured seal.

He stopped in his tracks, and his blood ran cold.

"Beastboy?"


	17. My little buttercup

**Chapter 17**

Trigon's body swelled and swelled. It filled the sky with its malevolence. His laughter rang throughout the city. Raven's tiny form could still be seen, attached to Trigon's massive waist.

Starfire grabbed Robin's wrist and started to fly away.

"Wait, Star!" Robin protested. "What about Raven?"

"Trigon is too powerful!" yelled Starfire, over the demonic laughter. "We must save ourselves first!"

Robin's communicator started to ring. Using his free hand he reached to answer it.

"Cyborg?"

"No, it's me Aqualad." The water-powered teen sounded grim. "Listen, you had better come over here quick."

* * *

Trigon pulled his foot out of his daughter's pathetic body. He now stood at his full height of three hundred feet. He had never felt more powerful. Now he could destroy those meddling teen titans in style.

Looking around, he frowned. Said teens were no where to be found. No matter, he thought to himself. They had no chance of stopping him now. He decided he would destroy this miserable city first, before moving on to the entire world.

He picked up the small form of his daughter. Raven looked frail and battered. Her skin was paler than usual, but there was a red tinge to her cheeks. But the thing Trigon noticed the most was the fact her heart was still beating. He was surprised; he thought that she would have died when he pulled himself free. However, he could sense it was very weak. She would die soon enough. It would be long and painful. Trigon grinned. He couldn't imagine a more fitting death for his traitorous daughter.

* * *

"And that's how I found them," Aqualad explained.

Robin shot a worried glance towards his team mates. Cyborg's power had been drained, and some of his internal circuitry damaged. Bumblebee was looking over his blueprints and was busy tinkering with the wires in his chest. Beastboy was awake, and sitting up on a bed as Speedy bandaged his injuries.

"Ow! Not so tight!" Beastboy protested. Speedy scowled at him, but otherwise made no sign that he had heard the complaint.

"I'm going back to look for Raven," said Robin abruptly. "Star you stay here."

"Robin, I-" started Starfire, before Robin pulled her into a hug.

"Too many of us have been hurt Starfire," murmured Robin. "I couldn't bare it if anything happened to you."

Beastboy grinned. "Awwwww," he said, fluttering his eyelashes. "What a sweet mo- OW!" he glared at Speedy, who smirked in return.

Robin quickly let go of Starfire, and left, but not before his cheeks turned the shade of beetroots.

Bumblebee pulled a screw driver out of the tool box (that was painted to match her outfit) and returned to Cyborg's open chest circuits. "So this Trigon, how did you defeat him before?"

"Raven defeated him," responded Starfire. "However, I do not believe that she will succeed this time. Trigon seems to be more powerful than last time."

There was a moment of silence as everyone contemplated what this could mean for their city, their country and their planet.

"So…." said Beastboy awkwardly. "Where's Mas and Menos?"

"They're currently visiting their family in Mexico," replied Speedy, as he cleaned a small cut on Beastboy's stomach.

A beep was heard, and Cyborg sat up, his body glowing blue once more. Bumblebee sighed in relief, as she began putting her tools away.

"Almost thought I wouldn't be able to fix you," she joked. "Glad I hung onto those blueprints."

Cyborg looked bewildered. "Fix me? What was wrong with me?"

"Friend Cyborg," started Starfire. "You were injured in your battle with Trigon."

"But…that was months ago!"

Bumblebee frowned, and then studied the blueprints once more. "I think your most recent memory files have been corrupted."

"Can someone please explain what's going on?"

* * *

"Hello?" Raven called. She looked back at the long, black tunnel she had walked through. It felt like nothingness. There was no source of light, nor did her shoes make any noise as she walked. She was sure that if she dared to reach out and touch the walls of the tunnel, she would fall straight through. She shivered, and then pressed on.

After what seemed like hours of aimless walking, a small light, almost like a candle flickered in the distance. It seemed brighter than a candle should be, but she supposed it might be due to the fact her eyes had gotten somewhat adjusted to the darkness.

The light started getting smaller, as if it was moving further away.

"No, wait!" Raven called after it, and started off at a run. She tried to levitate, but something was blocking her powers. What a time for her powers to fail her she thought.

Surprisingly, the light seemed to hear her, and stopped obediently. Out of breath, she caught up to it. It hovered in her face for a brief moment, and then vanished.

Raven was about to curse all the gods in all the lands when the light reappeared. It expanded, surrounding her form, and chasing away the dark, empty shadows. This new light felt as pleasant as sunshine on her skin. It revealed a cobbled path, surrounded on either side by bushes of deep purple buttercups. Raven admired these for a moment, before following the path. She gazed at the pearly blue sky, and wondered the last time she felt this peaceful. She doubted she ever had; her surroundings seemed to ooze tranquillity.

It felt new, but also familiar to her, like reuniting with an old friend. She looked up the path and gasped. It lead to an enormous gate. It was a soft beige colour, though it was metal. It was twisted into such an intricate pattern of swirls, that no mere human could have forged it. There were runes engraved at the top, that Raven didn't bother to read. She knew they were to ward off evil.

It was really no wonder the place felt familiar to her, she thought. She had seen these gates more times than she cared to count.

These were the gates of Azerath.

* * *

**Ok, so I really have no excuse as to why you had to wait so long for this chapter. then I give you a short chapter! yeah, I suck. It was going to be longer, but this seemed like such a natural stopping point. also, by my figuring, the next chapter wouldn't have been very long at all, so now it can be longer and hopefully more satisfying.**

**also, next chapter shall be the last! it feels strange, i have been writing this story since i was about 13, and now i'm almost 19. how time flies :D i'll do proper thank yous in the last chapter, but i love you so much if you chose to stick with me :D**

on another note, i am trying to achieve internet fame, so if people could go to my blog .com it would be appreciated!


	18. Pits of hell

**Chapter 18**

"He's destroyed the bridge to Gotham," reported Bumblebee, after she had updated Cyborg's memory files.

Robin typed more furiously in his communicator, if it was possible. "Cyborg!" he called out. "How is she?"

Cyborg looked again at the monitors attached to Raven's torso. He glanced at her face; it was grimacing with pain.

"Still running a fever," he reported. "Her heart's beating out of control. If we don't get her temperature down soon then…" Cyborg trailed off, but everyone knew what he meant. Raven would die, and with her, their chance of survival.

Robin gritted his teeth. Times like these, he really hated that the other titans turned to him for guidance. He wanted nothing more than to be in the medical room with the rest of his team, and be with Raven in what might be her last moments. However, he had to prepare. He was contacting all titans, across the globe. Maybe, if they worked together, they could stop Trigon if Raven could not.

Cyborg wiped the sweaty forehead of his dying friend. "Please Rae," he whispered. "We need you."

* * *

"Do forgive me," Arella said, as she clutched her daughter in her arms. "I should have known."

"No one could have mother," replied Raven, hugging her mother back with just as much vigour.

"From what you've told me, it's worse than I could have ever imagined." Arella shook her head. "When I first heard what he had done, I thought that just a fraction of his soul would not be as strong as his original body. I thought you would be able to handle it easily." She stopped, and held Raven back at arms length to look her in the eyes.

"I was wrong obviously. The original one was weaker. Trigon did not possess a full soul, at the time of his first attack. Therefore he was not at full power."

Raven frowned. "But this is a smaller piece of his soul. Wouldn't that make it weaker?"

"When you killed him the first time, that small fragment broke free. It was able to grow, undetected, until it became a full soul. He is now much stronger than the last time you faced him."

"What should I do?"

Arella looked away. "I'm afraid I don't know. Only the pits of hell itself could stop Trigon now."

* * *

"Hot-Spot and Argent are on their way," reported Cyborg.

Robin nodded. "I just received word that Kid Flash and Jinx are coming as well."

Bumblebee walked up behind him. "So Robin, what's the plan?"

"For the moment, it looks like Trigon's relaxing where the bridge to Gotham used to be. I think that means he's not quite at full strength yet," said Robin seriously. "My plan is to evacuate as many people as possible before he's too powerful."

"But Robin," interjected Starfire. "Without Raven, our chances of defeating Trigon are dismal."

He saw the start of tears well up in her eyes, and hurriedly looked down at his screen. "That's why everyone has a choice. You can either help distract him, or help the town evacuate. If you want to fight Trigon, you'll do so at your own risk."

The tension that followed was thick with the realization of what Robin's words meant.

"Looks like Kid Flash and Jinx have arrived," reported Speedy.

"Spose Kid flash would have carried her here," added Bumblebee, (She personally thought they made an adorable couple).

"I guess we can't wait any longer," replied Robin. "We need to evacuate the city now."

* * *

Kid Flash looked shocked. "But Robin," he argued. "I should be out there fighting!

"We just feel that your particular power would be better suited to helping people escape," explained Bumblebee. Kid Flash responded with a half pout, half scowl.

"In that case, I'll help evacuate too," said Jinx. She playfully nudged Kid Flash. "I'm not letting you go by yourself. What'll you do if people refuse to leave?"

Beastboy thought that people would rather escape from Jinx than be helped to by her, after all, she once posed a very serious threat to the city herself, but he kept his mouth shut.

Robin nodded. He turned towards Argent, who had arrived with Hotspot not long after Kid Flash and Jinx.

"I'm not much of a fighter," Argent said, as she brushed some fluff off her skirt. "I'd better stick with rescuing people."

"Not me," declared Hotspot. "I'd terrify people. I'm best off kicking some demon butt."

* * *

Cyborg looked again at the computer hooked to the medical equipment. Raven's temperature had dropped, but it was still dangerously high. It seemed there was nothing Cyborg could do but watch and pump her full of antibiotics. He listened to the conversation outside, as the various titans decided whether they would evacuate the city, or fight Trigon. It seemed to him like they were choosing whether to live or die; Trigon would surely kill all who went against him. Judging by Raven's condition, choosing to live appeared temporary, as without Raven, they would have no chance.

Normally, Cyborg would be out there fighting. However, it had been decided that he would stay behind and take care of his ailing friend. If she could pull through, the world might just make it.

"Cyborg?" a very quiet voice came.

Cyborg quickly dashed to the bedside. Raven was awake. However, with her off-grey skin, flushed cheeks and heavy eye lids, she still looked like death warmed up. He took her hand gingerly. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Trigon?" she coughed. Speaking was obviously an effort for her.

"He destroyed the bridge to Gotham," he replied. "He's hanging around there. About a hundred people died, but he hasn't done any more damage than that."

Raven tried to sit up, but Cyborg gently pushed her back down. "Whoa there, you're still sick Rae," he explained. "You're in no condition to fight him right now."

"Doesn't matter," she wheezed. "I need to."

"Not right now you don't. Look, we have it temporarily under control. Some of the titans will distract him while the others evacuate the city."

Raven gasped. "They can't! They'll all be killed!"

"They know the risks, Rae," Cyborg handed her some medicine. "Which is why we need you to get better as soon as possible, so they won't die in vain."

Her next argument caught in her throat. She looked at him for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

* * *

Trigon lazily played with the water. He had bent the bridge into a massive throne, seeing as Titans Tower was destroyed. It was fairly mediocre, but he decided once he conquered the world, he would have a nicer chair.

It would happen soon. He shielded his eyes against the midday sun. While he was fully capable of taking over now, he opted to wait until the sun set. Then, he could summon the creatures of darkness, which would do his bidding. After all, what was a King without servants?

The added bonus was the ambiance would make it all the more terrifying. He loved hearing people scream.

* * *

"Ok, now the only person left is…Aqualad," Robin announced.

"Well, I'd like a chance to also evacuate the marine life around the city." said Aqualad. "I also think that I could ask for their help in rescuing people; some of them may be able to escape up the river, or through the ocean."

Bumblebee nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"So, fighting team," said Robin. "I'd quickly like to outline a battle plan." Beastboy stood and started limping to the allocated area.

"Sorry Beastboy," said Bumblebee. "You're injured. You can't fight with us."

He looked crestfallen. "But…but…"

Robin stepped in. "What Bumblebee meant you can't be on the fighting team, because you have to be leader of the rescue team."

Beastboy's eyes lit up. "Really?" Robin nodded with a smile. Beastboy hobbled off as fast as could.

Speedy frowned. "You sure that was a good idea?" he murmured to Robin.

"He'll be fine," replied Robin. "Aqualad will keep an eye on him."

He turned back to the table, and began discussing battle plans with Bumblebee, Speedy, Starfire and Hotspot, knowing very well he could be planning their deaths.

* * *

**I'm an awful person I know. I promised last chapter that THIS would be the final chapter. I can't promise the next chapter will be the last either. However, if you're thinking of killing me, remember that the next chapter will involve a fair bit of action, and I despise writing these scenes. Also, I am going to attempt to finish this before January 12th. I will try, so stick with me please!**

**I've also gone and edited all the earlier chapters. This is the problem with writing a story over a time span of years; you improve. The first chapters bring me great shame.**

**Please review! I hope you all had a happy holiday, and I wish you a happy new year!  
**


	19. Won't let the team down

**Chapter 19**

For all appearances, it seemed that Raven had gone back to sleep. However, Cyborg knew that she was meditating. She had told him herself. Cyborg did not protest, knowing Raven would benefit from it, but he had insisted she stay lying down, and covered up by blankets, she was still quite ill after all.

The combined efforts of the meditation and medicine were doing her a world of good. Some of the colour had come back to her skin (so she was almost her usual shade of pale instead of a sickly grey). Every so often, Cyborg would see her hover an inch or two in the air, before gentle floating back down to the bed.

* * *

"Ready team?" asked Robin. He received four nods in reply. He gazed at the grim faces. Although they had received word that Raven had woken up, the fact remained that they would probably die before she was well enough to save them.

Starfire had a feeling that Trigon already knew they meant to evacuate the city. She didn't share this thought with the others. She glanced at Robin, who happened to look her way at the same moment. From the split second of eye contact, she knew Robin had had the same thought as her.

"Ok, Titans," said Robin confidently (as if he didn't know that Trigon knew their plans). "Let's go!"

They quietly manoeuvred themselves into position. When Robin's communicator received a signal from everybody, telling him they were in position, he waved at Hotspot, who could see Robin from where he was.

Hotspot aimed a fireball directly at Trigon's face. Trigon swatted his cheek, as if a bug had landed on him. Hotspot gritted his teeth, as he made a bigger fireball. Bumblebee charged her electricity. The electricity had fused with the fireball, causing it to expand. It hit Trigon's arm, causing him to roar with pain (and perhaps annoyance). Robin gripped his bo-staff and lunged in the corner of his eye, he saw his comrades doing like-wise. The fight had begun.

* * *

"Well, you still have a fever," reported Cyborg. "But it's gone right down."

Raven gave a weak smile, then frowned as she started to concentrate again.

"Everything alright, Rae?" Cyborg asked. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Ok, bad choice of words," he admitted.

"Just thinking," said Raven. "The entire human race _is_ depending on me." Cyborg looked at her gravely, before busying himself with some medical charts. Raven thought back to the conversation she had had with her mother. Arella's words nagged at the back of her mind. There was a clue in there somewhere, a clue Arella had unintentionally given.

"Cyborg, can we go to the tower?"

He looked at her with a disbelieving look in his eye. "It was destroyed Rae."

"I know, but can we go?"

"Why?"

She locked eyes with him. Her hard stare made it hard for Cyborg to look away. "I think I know a way to kill my father."

Cyborg sighed. "Alright, but now flying for you. You still need rest. We'll have to take the Titans East Jet."

* * *

Robin threw a bomb into the path of Starfire's starbolts, creating their own version of 'Sonic Boom'. It went off in Trigon's face. Speedy let off ten arrows in quick succession. They pierced Trigon's arm, causing him to cry out. At the same time, Bumblebee and Hotspot fired electricity and fire. The team had quickly discovered that firing simultaneously was the key. It distracted Trigon enough so he couldn't attack back. Often. A large burn Speedy sported was evidence of _that_. However, most of Trigon's efforts seemed to be used in dodging the multiple attacks. He couldn't attack them all at once.

Hotspot launched another fireball at him. Trigon flung his colossal arm down in retaliation. He hit the road, sending tremors throughout the city. Hotspot was sent flying into the remains of an office firm. Robin was glad many people, especially the ones near the bridge, had decided to evacuate of their own accord.

Robin felt his concern grow as Hotspot didn't emerge, but he had no time to dwell, as Trigon turned his gruesome face towards him.

* * *

"You alright, Beastboy?" called out Kid Flash. The green gorilla shot him a look that said 'What do you think?' He held tightly onto an elderly woman, who was protesting being removed from her home. ("Put me down you brute!") Beastboy handed her off to Argent. The woman was then hoisted into the giant red cart that Argent had created. She had become, if it were possible, more vicious, yelling about teens and their bad habits, and how she was sure Argent looked evil enough to be in league with the demon.

Most people were very willing to leave, once they heard there was a demon the size of a skyscraper in the vicinity. Jinx hardly had to threaten anyone. There were a few, mostly elderly people and children, who refused to leave. This made the job increasingly difficult.

Suddenly, there was a roar, followed by a deafening bang. The ground started shaking. Several buildings began to sway dangerously.

One building began to topple over. Beastboy only paid enough mind to ensure no one would be in the way. They had already evacuated that particular apartment block.

"HELP!" someone screamed. The titans were filled with dread. They could see the terrified face of a little boy leaning out the window, crying and yelling for all he was worth.

"FLASH!" bellowed Beastboy. Kid Flash immediately got the message. He raced into the door of the building, and up the stairs. When he got there, the boy flung his arms around Kid Flash's neck. Kid Flash tried to be soothing, while urgent at the same time. At that moment, the building jolted with a sickening crack. Kid Flash looked towards the doorway, and felt the bottom of his stomach drop out. The stairs had fallen.

"Hold on tight," he grunted to the boy, before he leapt out the window.

He was using his speed to run down the side of the building, a hard enough feat without a child clinging to his neck, and the wall threatening to crumble beneath him. His footing gave way, and he fell the last ten feet. Kid Flash positioned himself so he would take the bulk of the impact. However, as he was falling, he saw Jinx about to be crushed by a large slab of concrete.

"JINX!" he shrieked. There was nothing he could do. If he had something solid underneath his feet, he could dash over there and get her out of the way, but in freefall…

He hit the ground, and all the air was knocked out of him. He was sure he had blacked out, even for a few seconds, because when he became aware of his surroundings again, the child was now weeping into Argent's shoulder. Aqualad was leaning over him, feeling his head for any injuries.

Kid Flash tried to speak, but coughed instead. This wasn't good. He had to warn them that Jinx was possibly crushed, and they should rescue her. He couldn't get the words out. He had to try again. "_Ji-…_"

Just then, he heard a loud groan. Beastboy, as a gorilla again, was lifting the concrete slab. Kid Flash saw to his relief, that Jinx was alive. She had evidently heard his cry, and got out of the way. Unfortunately, her foot had been caught underneath. It stuck out at a bit of an odd angle.

Beastboy morphed back into a human. He leaned heavily on a wall and clutched his ribs.

"Well that was stupid," said Aqualad. "You're injured, you should have let someone else get Jinx out."

Although in obvious pain, Beastboy grinned. "I won't let my team down." He gave Aqualad a thumbs up. Aqualad smirked at the corniness of the gesture.

The child, it turned out, had been left home alone (The titans agreed to have a few stern words with his parents if they survived the Trigon incident). He explained, while Argent conjured red bandages for Kid Flash, Jinx and Beastboy, that when the titans had entered his house, he had been frightened and hid in the cupboard.

They heard another roar from Trigon.

"We'd better get out of here," said Aqualad. "I hope the others are doing alright."

* * *

Robin breathed heavily, and then gritted his teeth. He hoped Raven could fight him. He would only have to endure a little longer. He stood up straight, and prepared to attack again.

He would risk his life for his friends, and his city.

* * *

**Well, it seemed a lot longer when I was writing it.**

**I went over my time limit by...well a lot. However, it's still quicker than most updates I've done, so I get points for trying right?**

**You will be pleased to know, that I have been accepted into university, and shall be studying economics. I am VERY excited :D So My goal is to update BEFORE the 27th, which is when classes start up. The next chapter will probably be the last one. It will be like saying good bye to an old friend.**

**Anyway, please review, they are like fairy dust to me. RARE AND VERY SPECIAL!**


	20. The final battle

Warning folks. This one's a biggun. It always just seemed like if I had split it up, the chapters would be too short. Plus, i never figured it would be 11 pages long and almost 4000 words big.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Although Raven was sitting behind a steering wheel, she was not in control of the vehicle. Cyborg was driving the Titans East's jet (although they had re-configured the controls which he did not appreciate). He kept a close eye on Raven. She was bundled up in blankets, and she had her eyes closed; meditating again. He saw a small bead of sweat appear on her forehead. At least her fever was breaking.

If it was up to him, Raven would not be fighting at all. In her condition, the chances of her winning seemed unlikely. However, he knew it was not up to him. Raven had informed him that Trigon was most likely waiting until nightfall, when he could summon his warriors of darkness and begin his hostile takeover. She needed to defeat him before then to have the best chance of saving the world. Otherwise the world would turn into a fiery hell. He noted the position of the sun. Time was running out.

Cyborg saw the remains of Titans tower appear on the horizon.

"Rae, we're here."

Everything was cast in an orange light from the setting sun (and a few fires). Cyborg landed in the water, as insisted on helping Raven out.

"So," he started when they were safely on land. "What're we looking for?"

"A book," said Raven. "It's called the Book of Gem, it's white and-…"

"Yeah, I know the one."

Raven eyed him suspiciously. "How?"

Cyborg shuffled his feet nervously. "Well, when BB found you in that alley, you were mumbling about Trigon, so…we went in your room."

She raised her eyebrows.

"We were worried Rae!" Cyborg explained. "You mentioning Trigon, then Robin remembered all those dreams you had. We just wanted some answers, and we got the book."

Raven's look of apprehension turned to one of guilt. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

She looked at her feet. "Part of me was hoping it was some kind of side effect to defeating Trigon," she said. "I didn't know what was going on. I thought at first it would go away on its own. Around the time it became apparent it wouldn't, it was too late." Her eyes met his again. "I'm sorry."

Cyborg grinned. "It's fine." He started pressing buttons on his arm. "Well, now that I know what we're looking for, I should be able to scan this mess for objects of similar size and weight."

Raven felt a little relieved. Searching the whole ruined tower could take hours; hours she did not have.

Cyborg did a quick calculation, and deduced where in the wreckage the Raven's room would be, and began his scan there.

It didn't take him long to locate several books. At first, a couple registered on his screen. The number of located objects began to climb higher and higher, at an increased rate.

"Aw man!" he cried.

"What's wrong?" called Raven, as she began making her way over.

"My scanner! Locating all your books overloaded the system!"

"Will it be alright?"

Cyborg shook his arm, as if that would fix his scanner. "It'll be fine once I reboot it. Anyway," he gestured to the surrounding area. "This is where we should be able to find your book. You said it was white?"

She nodded. Cyborg sighed and began lifting slabs of concrete. At least it would stand out amongst all the black tomes.

After a while, Cyborg was glad he was half metal. All the strenuous work he was doing would definitely injure a normal man's back.

He gave a concerned glance Raven's way. She was, at least, following his instructions. He had insisted that she not use her powers, and preserve as much strength as she could for fighting her father. She still had the blanket draped around her shoulders. She had even found a spare broche, the kind she normally fastened her cloak with, and had fastened it to her blanket. It now hung like a snugly cape. He had told her not to lift anything big. If she needed help, she would call him over.

It wasn't long before Raven found some pages. She eagerly swept aside the dust and cement pieces covering it.

"Malchior!"

The book coughed in reply. "I maybe trapped inside a bunch of paper, but all that dust still makes me sneeze."

Cyborg had come over when he had heard Raven speak. "Malchior?" he asked suspiciously. "Isn't that the evil dragon?"

"Yes, and who might you be?" Malchior replied pleasantly.

"The guy whose gonna drown your sorry ass!" Cyborg growled. He made to grab the book, but Raven pulled it out of his reach.

"Cy, he might be able to help us," said Raven.

"_He_ tried to destroy the city! _I'm_ the one helping!" yelled Cyborg.

"And you're doing a marvellous job," responded Raven. "Malchior knows a lot about dark magic. He might be able to help me counter Trigon's power."

Cyborg sighed in defeat. He agreed that Raven should talk to Malchior, while he resumed the search for the Book of Gem.

* * *

Malchior frowned (as much as a book could). "Your plan does have merit; however, it'll be exceedingly difficult." He looked Raven in the eyes. "It would take very powerful magic. In your condition, I'm not sure you'd be able to do it. Hell, I'm surprised you even survived Trigon separating himself from you!"

"You'll teach me the spell though, right?"

"I don't have much of a choice do I?"

A few minutes later, Cyborg called out. "Rae, I found it!"

He ran over and handed it to her. For the first time in months, Raven smiled. She ran her hand over the silk embroidery. "Thanks Cyborg."

"Why is it blank?" Cyborg asked.

She pointed to the dark red symbol splattered on the cover. "It's been cursed."

"It's still however, simply oozing with the purest magic," added Malchior. "It should help stop Trigon." His eyes lit up. "I also appreciate the irony of using a book that once spoke of his triumphs to destroy him."

Cyborg glanced at the sun, which was a little too low in the sky for his liking. "Rae, we'd better go, we don't have much time."

"Thanks Malchior," said Raven. She turned to leave.

"Wait!" he called after her. His pages began to turn rapidly. A surge of green energy raced from the book and straight into Raven's forehead. The force of it made her stumble, but Cyborg caught her.

"What did you just do?" he demanded. Raven however, looked astonished.

"You…gave me some of your power?"

"Well," he said. "It's not as if I was _using_ it. Plus, I don't want the world destroyed. At least, not before I have a chance to destroy it myself." He saw the concerned look on Raven's face. "Don't worry!" Malchior said quickly. "It'll replenish! You know….eventually."

"Tha-thanks," Raven stuttered.

"Good luck."

* * *

"Right," said Aqualad. "That should be everyone."

Beastboy clapped his hands together. "Alright, good work team." Just then, his communicator (which was actually Mas') went off. He turned away to answer it.

Aqualad addressed the group once more. "We've sent messages to the police of every city within a hundred miles. They'll warn the citizens to be ready to evacuate should things go wrong."

Beastboy hung up his communicator. "Guys, that was Cyborg," he said. "He and Raven are on their way to Trigon."

While everyone was relieved, they couldn't help but exchange tense glances. The last they had heard, Raven was still sick. Would she be able to defeat her father?

"So," Beastboy continued. "What we gotta do is grab Robin and the others and get them out. Cyborg'll meet us there."

"And Raven?" asked Kid Flash.

Beastboy hesitated. "She'll distract Trigon."

* * *

Cyborg landed the jet about a mile or so away from the actual battle field. Trigon was flailing his arms, and Cyborg could see Starfire's star bolts off in the distance.

"You ready for this Rae?" he asked tentatively. She had been meditating the entire trip back.

"As I'll ever be." She grabbed a spare cloak they had found among her things at the tower and replaced the blanket around her shoulders. It might have been fairly dusty, and it sported a small rip at the hem, but there was no way she was going to face her father in something fluffy.

"The others should be here soon," said Cyborg. "We'll get the other titans out, while you're fighting." He didn't tell her that he would fly back once the titans were safe. Raven wanted all of them out of the way, so they wouldn't get hurt. Cyborg mostly agreed, but wanted to be there, just in case.

She nodded. Pulling her hood over her head, she started to fly.

"Be careful!" Cyborg called after her.

"You too," she replied. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a tear on her cheek.

* * *

Robin grunted as he was knocked to the ground again. He coughed up some dust. Starfire and Speedy were still shooting various projectiles at Trigon, but he hadn't seen Bumblebee or Hotspot in a while. He prayed they were just unconscious.

He wasn't stupid. He knew they would probably die, and Trigon would take over the world once again. He propped himself up with his arms. However, he wasn't about to accept this without a fight.

Suddenly, he saw something blue streak across the burnt orange sky.

"Raven."

Trigon had heard Robin's remark, and turned his gigantic head. He scowled. Raven had landed on a pile of rubble, and stared directly at her father. Her expression was unreadable, but Robin knew her. She had been in his head, they had shared a special bond. Her eyes were full of confidence.

A pair of hands hoisted him up from his armpits. "Show's over," said the person. He looked back to see Aqualad. Behind him were the other members of the evacuation crew, plus Cyborg.

"What are you guys doing?" Robin croaked, before coughing up more dust.

Beastboy grinned. "Exactly what you told us, dude. Evacuating the area!"

Jinx motioned to the still battling Starfire and Speedy. "I'll go round them up shall I?" She ran off.

Kid Flash did not look happy about Jinx's departure. "Where are Hotspot and Bumblebee?" he asked.

Robin pointed to where he had seen them fall. Kid Flash raced off to investigate those spots.

"We gotta get out of here, Rob," said Cyborg. Robin nodded and started to walk, but his ankle gave out. Cyborg smirked.

"Looks like I'll have to carry you." Before Robin could protest, Cyborg had lifted him up and thrown him over his shoulder. "Sorry dude," Cyborg apologized. "Faster this way."

Jinx had returned with Starfire and Speedy in tow. Trigon, luckily, was still distracted by the arrival of his daughter to notice they had stopped firing at him (though when Robin looked carefully, he would swear that he saw him wince every once and a while, as if he was still being hit).

"What about Raven?" Robin wheezed, as the group made their way towards the jet.

"She can handle it."

* * *

Trigon was fuming.

"I thought you were dead," he boomed.

"Not before you," Raven responded.

"How?"

She smirked. "I have friends." She folded her arms. "You know, people who actually _like_ me?"

"Friends will make you weak, daughter."

"How's this for weak?" she yelled, as she summoned up a colossal wave of black energy. With a thrust of her arms, the wave was sent towards Trigon. He raised his arms to deflect it, but wasn't fast enough to stop all the energy. It hit him, and made him stumble back.

She flew above his head, and black lightning shot from her fingers. They struck his face, causing him to screech. He sent a fireball her way, but she dodged it.

Trigon was gritting his teeth. How could his daughter, a lesser and weaker being, be trumping him so easily. She must have borrowed power from somewhere. Her mother maybe. She had always been so weak willed.

He hurled another fireball. She dodged again, but was too slow. It hit her foot, singing her shoe and burning her ankle. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. Trigon smirked. _This_ was better.

Raven conjured daggers and threw them at her father. They hit a wound that Starfire had managed to inflict on him earlier. He growled. _Those miserable Titans_ he thought bitterly.

Trigon looked up and saw the last few rays of sun sink behind the horizon. He sneered, and then laughed, sending deafening echoes throughout the abandoned city.

"It is time," he bellowed. "Come forth, my servants! Wreck havoc to all mortals!"

Nothing happened. Raven stopped in midair and looked around. Then she saw it; black creatures were materializing in the moonlight. They were thin, with oversized horns adorning their heads. They had long fingers, and big, grinning mouths under their pug-like noses. One flew right up to Raven's face, and she saw it had no legs; it ended in a tear drop shape.

They were hell gremlins, better known as the servants of darkness, and they were being summoned by the thousands.

Raven gasped. These monsters were meant to be rare. She had thought her father would be summoning _ten_ at the most. She wasn't even sure _more_ than ten had ever been discovered. Yet there were so many that they completely filled the sky. They turned and grinned at her, before flying off in different directions.

"Such useful creatures," commented Trigon, as he examined the claws on one of his hands. "They're going to make the Earth a more suitable place for my kingdom."

* * *

Cyborg was glad he had had the foresight to make the titans east jet a little roomier than their own. Everyone was able to fit, albeit a little squashed. There was still enough room for the uninjured titans to move about and apply bandages and ice packs wherever needed. He made a mental note to upgrade the jet with proper medical equipment if the world didn't end.

The sky was now a deep blue, and he could see the first stars appearing. However peaceful the atmosphere seemed, Cyborg was still wracked with worry. If Raven hadn't defeated Trigon by now, then surely-…

Something black raced across the windscreen. Cyborg jerked the steering wheel in response. He heard many cried of protests coming from the other titans.

"Buckle your seatbelts!" he hollered, as the black thing came back. It looked at him with glowing blood red eyes. It landed on the windscreen, and started to claw at the glass, making deep scratches. Cyborg swerved again, and the creature flew off, giving a high pitched screech as it did so. He urged the engine faster.

Two more monsters came and flew up near the screen, They grinned at him before looping back.

_Oh crap_ Cyborg thought. _They're going for the engine_.

"Starfire!" he yelled. "You're gonna have to get out there!" He veered the wheel again. If they wanted his engine, he wasn't about to make it easier for them.

Starfire was thankful that the atmosphere on Tamaran was perpetually dark; it gave her excellent night vision. She spotted the black creatures instantly. They were trying to break open the outer shell of the jet, but were constantly being thrown off by Cyborg's insane steering. She aimed carefully with her eyebeams, not wanting to hit the jet that contained her friends. She hit a black creature trying to damage the wing. It fell limply into the dark water below. Starfire couldn't be sure, but it almost seemed as though it had _melted_ when it hit the water. Either way, it didn't emerge again. She smiled. Now, she had a battle plan.

* * *

Raven bit back a scream when a ball of fire hit her in the back. She turned to see Trigon smirking at her. She gritted her teeth as she struck him again with black lightning. He was too slow, and it slammed into his chest. Although Raven kept her face stoic, inside she was secretly relieved. At least Trigon wasn't getting the upper hand. Yet. She knew she couldn't keep this up for much longer. They had already been fighting for hours, and it was taking its toll.

"Give it up daughter," Trigon laughed cruelly, despite the recent blow. "I am much too powerful. You will never defeat me." Before Raven could respond, he thrust out his hand and grabbed her. She struggled in his grip.

"You know," he raised his other hand and began to stroke his chin, as though he was contemplating something. "You could join me. We could take over this world together."

His words seemed to have a hypnotic effect on her demonic side. Raven could see in her mind's eye, Hatred, the embodiment of her evil origins, grinning at her. Her blood red cloak swished, as she pulled at her chains, giggling manically.

_Hatred might be right_ Raven thought. _It would certainly be easier. Maybe I should_. Just then, her other personalities surrounded Hatred. They summoned magic around the chains, making them that much stronger.

"NO Raven!" yelled Courage.

"You can't!" cried Knowledge. Hatred screamed in rage and fought her bindings harder.

_I should._

_I shouldn't._

_I will._

_I won't._

_I will._ Glowing red marks started spearing on her body. If Raven had cared to look, she would have seen that the marks were the prophecy made at her birth. Hatred thrashed crazily. _I will, I will, I will._

"I-…" she muttered.

"Yes?" Trigon brought her up to his face.

"I-…" _I will. I will._ She couldn't think. All she could feel was the evil. She knew somewhere in the back of her mind that she shouldn't, but it was hard to fight the darkness.

'Raven!' came a voice.

_Mother?_

'Yes Raven, it's me,' Arella replied. 'Listen to me sweetheart, you must fight the darkness. I know it's difficult, but you have to! The fate of the entire world depends on you.'

_I don't know if I can._

'I know Raven, that's the evil you inherited from your father. But you know, children do not always need to follow in their parent's footsteps.' Raven heard her mother sigh. 'I wish I could do this for you. Think of the world, think of me and your friends and fight it!'

"So what do you say Raven?" Trigon asked darkly. "Will you join me on my conquest to save the world?"

"NO!" Raven bellowed. "I will never join you, and as long as we're both alive I will never stop fighting you!"

Trigon screamed in rage, and in the blink of an eye, he lifted her up to his mouth and swallowed her whole.

Raven would describe Trigon's stomach as a vortex, rather than full of acids and gastric juices, the way mortal stomachs were. It felt of nothingness.

She didn't know how long she had been in those dark confines. It could have been seconds, minutes, or even hours. Her mind was racing. It went through every memory and every emotion with super speed, almost as if someone had pressed the fast forward button.

It stopped on a particular memory. She saw herself, as a small child, running through the flowers, in the beautiful monastery of Azerath. Her child self seemed oblivious to the monks that stood on the stairs watching her.

"She cannot remain here forever," said one monk. "Lest we want Azerath destroyed."

The other monk, who was considerably older, nodded. "It is true. When the time draws near, she will have to move to another dimension." He turned his head as if to look at the younger monk, but Raven saw that his eyes were a milky white. "However, until that time comes, we shall continue to teach her."

Little Raven ran over to them, her face stretched in a huge grin. She held out a bunch of flowers to the older monk. He smiled, and accepted the bouquet.

"Brother Fen?" she said, her big eyes brimming with innocence. "I'm getting hungry."

Brother Fen reached out his withered hand and patted her head. "I'm sure you are." He kneeled down so they were eye level. "After all, an empty stomach is one of our greatest weaknesses, whether we're monks, angels, or demons."

The older Raven's eyes widened. Brother Fen appeared to look directly at her. He smiled again, and nodded.

Raven was back in the darkness, but this time, she felt confidence. She sat cross legged. Black energy started swirling around her, encasing her in a magical sphere.

She thrust out her arms. The sphere seemed to explode. It rang inside her head. She could barely think. She didn't hear her father scream in agony, as the explosion burst a hole in his stomach. She was forced out the hole, and before she knew it, she had hit the dark water below.

Raven surfaced, and gasped for air. It was icy cold. It gripped her senses. She flew out and landed on the bank. Trigon was clutching his stomach. Purplish blood oozed out between his fingers. He gritted his teeth and glared at his daughter.

Raven smirked. She knew what she had to do.

"Ovion Senanate Harazar!" she cried. Her magic poured out of her fingers, and took the form of a giant archer's bow. She grabbed it, and pulled back on the string. As she did, a green arrow appeared. She released the string.

The arrow soared gracefully, and hit Trigon in his eye, then disappeared. He bellowed as he grabbed his eye.

"How dare you!" he yelled.

"Not over yet, Pops," said Raven calmly, as she pulled something out from her cloak. It was the Book of Gem. It shone brightly against the night. Trigon's eyes widened when he saw it.

"How did you…?" his question was left dangling, as he saw the movement of his daughter's hands.

The book began to float. It shone intensely, as it's pages started turning madly.

"Aldruon, Enlenthranel, Vosolen Lirus-nor!" Raven screamed into the air. A blinding white light encased Trigon. He yelled and fought, but this magic was too strong. He could feel himself being pulled into the book. He could already feel the purity of the pages, scorching his skin as if they were made of fire. He shrieked again, as the last of his body was sealed away.

The book's brilliant white cover started to grey at the edges. Raven breathed out. Although it was one of the purest books in the universe, it seemed as though Trigon's evil was starting to corrupt it. She would need to act fast.

She stood with her knuckles pressed together. She scrunched up her eyes as she started pulling her hands apart. Beads of sweat started to drip down her face.

Suddenly, the earth seemed to split. Slowly, a crack appeared. Raven started to shake as she forced the crack open.

Flames started to climb out of the earth's fracture. They almost seemed desperate to grab something. Raven levitated the book over the fire. Long arms came out of the inferno, and took hold of the book. They grabbed both covers and ripped.

Trigon's yells ripped through the city. They became more and more muffled as the arms pulled themselves back into the ground.

The cracked repaired itself.

Raven blinked, and then her face split into a huge grin. The grin turned into laughter. She could scarcely believe it.

Trigon was finally no more.

* * *

**OMG. This one was exhausting to write. Do not enjoy writing battle scenes. However, a climactic final battle is generally how my more epic stories tend to end.**

**NOT THE END YET! I know I said it was going to be the last one, but I honestly had no idea how long this bloody thing would be. It ended up being so much longer than the original plan. She was never going to be swallowed, the other titans weren't going to pop up, and there was originally no book of gem. malchior didn't help raven, and she was going to seal trigon in the same book as malchior and send them BOTH to hell. Which is what happened btw.**

**Anyway, I would definately love some feedback. I'm assuming if you have read it this far, you have some things to say. Even if it's critisicm, i don't mind. As long as it's not outright flaming. I love all the faves and watches, but reviews have bcome so rare. it would mean a lot if you even wrote 'cool story bro'. SOMETHING**

**Anyway, epilogue will be out sooner, because unlike the fight scene, i actually want to write it :D  
**


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Starfire sent creature after creature to a watery grave, but they were replaced almost immediately by a fresh wave of monsters. She managed to keep them from destroying the jet before they reached the Titans East tower.

Now, they all sat in the basement of the tower. Argent was tending to everyone's wounds. Robin encouraged everyone to sleep, while Cyborg, Starfire, Speedy and Aqualad (the only ones of the party who were relatively uninjured) took turns in keeping watch. However, they needn't bothered; no one was able to sleep anyway.

It was Cyborg's turn to keep watch. He was, quite possibly, the most restless out of all the titans. He had planned to head back to the battle, and support Raven in anyway possible. However, the oncoming monsters prevented that plan.

Starfire came and sat beside him.

"You want to go help Raven," she said. She didn't pose it as a question; she stated it like it was a known fact.

He chuckled nervously. "That obvious?"

She smiled. "I have known you for quite some time."

They both fell silent. The only noises to be heard were the screeches of the black creatures, trying to break in. Cyborg had helped build this tower himself. He knew it would take a lot for the walls to break. However, with the sheer amount of them…

"She will be fine," said Starfire.

"Yeah," Cyborg responded half-heartedly.

"She has defeated the Trigon before."

"I know."

The conversation ended again.

Starfire sighed. "I am worried for Raven as well."

Cyborg said nothing. Instead he put his arm around her.

Through the window, an orange glow started to appear on the horizon. Cyborg stifled a yawn. It had been a long night, and the sun had begun to rise at last.

The black creatures stopped clawing through the glass. They turned to look at the glow, with an almost horrified look upon their faces. They immediately took flight, but then…evaporated.

Starfire and Cyborg both jumped in surprise.

"Of course," Cyborg muttered. "I think Raven mentioned. They're creatures of the night, so sunlight must kill them."

"You should go," said Starfire. "I will keep Robin distracted."

He pulled her into a hug. She thought she had heard him whisper _Thank you_ before he raced to the jet.

* * *

It was still very dark as Cyborg flew. The tiny bit of sun had done almost nothing to diminish the night. It was dark enough to make Cyborg think that there might still be some of those night creatures lurking around. He kept a look out, just in case.

Suddenly, a huge tower of flame appeared before him on the horizon. It was so bright against the night that it made him shield his eyes.

Just as quickly as the fire appeared, it disappeared again. Cyborg felt dread settle in his stomach.

The fire was exactly where Raven was battling Trigon.

* * *

Cyborg couldn't hear anything once he had landed. Not even with his super-enhanced hearing. _The battle has to be over_ he thought. _But who won?_

He raced to the site of the destroyed bridge as fast as his legs would take him. The sky was now streaked with a burnt orange.

And then he saw it. A figure, quite small, lying lifelessly on the river bank. It looked suspiciously like…

"Raven!" he yelled. "RAVEN!"

"Cyborg, I'm right here, there's no need to shout."

Raven opened her eyes to look up at him. She raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry Rae," he said sheepishly, grinning ear to ear. "Thought you were…you know…"

Raven smirked. "Apology accepted."

"You're soaked," he said, taking in her wet clothes and hair.

Raven lifted her head a little, as if to make the same observation. "Yeah, I might have fallen in the river at some stage."

"Good thing I brought this," Cyborg said. With a dramatic wave, he produced something pink and fluffy from behind his back.

Raven smiled. "My blanket!" There was a tiny note of sarcasm, but Cyborg could tell she was secretly glad he had brought it. He placed it over her.

"It's warm," she commented.

"It's also your favourite colour," he teased.

"Who told you?"

"One of your personalities when BB and I went into ya mind remember?" He placed a hand over his chest, and raised the other one. "I solemnly swear I have not told a soul." His hands dropped, as he flopped on the ground beside her. "Can't say the same for Beastboy though." She gave a small giggle, and then they both fell silent.

"How are the others?" Raven said after a while.

"They're all alive," Cyborg answered. "A little worse for wear, but breathing. Hotspot's got a major concussion, and Bee's broken her pelvis. Pretty sure that's the worst of it."

"That's good," she replied. "Think they'd mind if I didn't heal them straight away?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged under her blanket. "Am not in the mood."

Cyborg chuckled. "Nah, I think they'd understand. They might complain a little, but they'd understand." He turned his head towards her. "Any particular reason you're lying on the ground by the way?"

Raven shrugged again. "My legs felt a little like jelly, and I didn't want to fly all the way to Titans East, so I thought I'd lie here for a bit."

"So Trigon's definitely gone?" asked Cyborg. He sat up and started looking around. "Where is he? I mean, a guy that big would be hard to hide…"

"I sealed him in the Book of Gem," she said. He could tell she was attempting to sound aloof, as though she defeated crazy demon fathers everyday, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Like Malchior?" Cyborg said. "So then, where's the book?"

"I sent it to hell."

Cyborg bolted upright. "You…what?"

"Well," Raven smirked. "I sent it somewhere with a lot of fire."

"How did you….?" He seemed at a loss for words. "Actually, I don't want to know."

"Good idea."

They fell back into silence.

"I've always loved this time of day," said Raven suddenly. "When it's still dark enough to see the stars, but the sun's just beginning to rise? So peaceful." She sighed. "That's why I usually get up to meditate at this time. Good time for reflecting." She hesitated. "Cyborg…can I ask you something?"

"Something you have reflected on perhaps?" he joked.

"Perhaps."

"Then shoot."

Raven paused again. "Am I an awful person for being glad my father is dead?"

Cyborg sat up to look at her. "Wha-…?"

"I mean, you're meant to be upset right? When a parent dies? But I'm not. If my legs weren't so tired I would probably be dancing."

"If it were anyone else, I would say yes," responded Cyborg. "But your Dad's not only a psycho, He's mega-evil. I don't think that makes you an awful person."

"Thanks."

"Anytime." Cyborg got to his feet, and brushed himself off. "Well, I guess we'd better get back to the tower. Robin is gonna yell at me for leaving during my watch."

"He wouldn't," said Raven. "…Straight away."

Cyborg laughed, before he scooped Raven up, blanket and all.

From her new vantage point, Raven could see the destroyed buildings. "Wow," she said. "We really made a mess."

"We can worry about it later," Cyborg stated, as he started walking towards the jet. Now he wished he hadn't landed so far away.

He was about half way there, when the question he had been dying to ask came from his lips.

"So there's really such a thing as hell?"

He didn't receive a reply. He looked down. Raven had fallen asleep, her breathing even and her mouth hanging open slightly.

Cyborg smiled. He walked on, with the sleeping girl, under the sunrise, of a new day.

* * *

**Holy Crap it's FINISHED! Never thought I would see the day. Thanks for everyone who ever read this! Please send me reviews, I love them. I mean, I love faves and stuff as well, but reviews as so rare nowadays :D  
**

**I wouldn't expect any more Teen Titans fanfic in the future. I have been more or less developing THIS story since I was 14. That's about 5 years. I don't think I'd be capable of thinking of another one.  
**

**Maybe a oneshot. In the future. For now, I shall be working on a few How to Train your Dragon fics, and perhaps a Tintin one (Yeah I jumped on that bandwagon). I'm also going to try and work on my original stories a little. I would like to be published one day.  
**

**Thanks again! I appreciate everyone who ever read this, or ever gave me comments, or faved this story or me because of it. THANKS SO MUCH!  
**


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